A few years ago, I spent a couple of months in Singapore. While there I enjoyed a multitude of different noodle dishes…but not Singapore Noodles! Turns out that this mix of curried rice noodles has nothing to do with Singapore. This dish was actually created in the 1950’s or 60’s by Hong Kong (then a British colony) chefs eager to use the spices & curries that were readily available from previously British-ruled India. And I have to thank them! This combo of curry powder, rice vermicelli, proteins & greens is a party for your mouth. Give a try tonight!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 4 T + 1 t olive oil
- 2 T curry powder
- 1/8 t cayenne pepper
- 6 oz rice vermicelli
- 2 T soy sauce
- 1 t sugar
- 12 oz lg shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 4 lg eggs, lightly beaten
- Salt
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 t ginger, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into 2″-long matchsticks
- 2 lg shallots, sliced thin
- 2/3 c chicken broth
- 4 oz bean sprouts
- 4 scallions, cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 2 t lime juice
- Lime wedges for serving
Heat 3 T oil, curry powder & cayenne in 12″ skillet over med-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 4 min. Remove skillet from heat & set aside.
Bring 1-1/2 quarts of water to a boil. Place noodles in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over noodles & briefly stir. Soak noodles until flexible, but not soft, about 2-1/2 min, stirring once halfway through soaking. Drain noodles & transfer to cutting board. Cut pile of noodles roughly into thirds. Return noodles to bowl, add curry mixture, soy sauce & sugar. Use tongs to toss until well combined. Set aside.
Use paper towels to wipe out skillet. Heat 2 t oil in skillet over med-high heat until shimmering. Add shrimp & cook without moving until bottoms are browned, about 90 sec. Stir shrimp & continue to cook until just cooked through, another 90 seconds. Push shrimp to 1 side of the skillet.
Add 1 t oil to cleared side of skillet. Add eggs to clearing & sprinkle with 1/4 t salt. Stir eggs gently until set, but still wet, about 1 min. Stir eggs into shrimp & continue to cook, breaking up large pieces of egg, until eggs are fully cooked, about 30 sec more. Empty shrimp-egg mixture to second large bowl.
Reduce heat to medium. Heat remaining 1 t oil into the now-empty skillet until shimmering. Add garlic & ginger & cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 15 sec. Add bell pepper & shallots. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 min. Transfer to bowl with shrimp.
Return skillet to med-high heat, add broth to skillet & bring to simmer. Add noodles & cook, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed, about 2 min. Add noodles to bowl with shrimp/vegetables & toss to combine. Add bean sprouts, scallions & lime juice & toss until combined. Serve immediately with lime wedges. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated.