I love Singapore and not just for the noodles.
A very old friend and her husband have been living and working there for ten years and we love to visit. They live in Tiong Bahru an old, historic part of Singapore which has lately become a very trendy part of the city. There is a wonderful Chinese wet market there full of a vast variety of the freshest produce. It’s hot and noisy, bustling and busy and I love it.
My friend, Karen, is a wonderful cook and we take great pleasure in walking to the market early, before the heat of the day, to stock up on whatever takes our fancy to cook. She has her favourite fish monger who will peel the plump green prawns for her, clean her baby squid or fillet her fish; the chicken man who will butcher a bird in any way she demands; old Aunty with her tiny spice stall where she mixes up curry powders and pastes on request barking out recipes as she spoons out all the colourful ground spices. “One bag, one curry” she always shouts. You can even buy bean shoots with the raggedy ends removed. Bliss.
One of my favourites is the fresh noodle man. His little stall is filled with all manner of fresh and dried noodles and he is as skinny as the thinnest noodle on his counter.
Karen’s Singapore Noodle dish is a favourite of ours. It’s quick and tasty and you can vary the ingredients according to what’s in season or in your fridge. I’ve used prawns in my recipe but you can add pork, fish, chicken, beef, tofu or just vegetables – whatever you fancy.
In the gluten-free recipe below I’ve used cellophane or glass noodles made from mung beans, they're readily available in supermarkets and Asian supply shops but you can use any noodles you prefer, gluten-free or not.
You can serve Singapore Noodles as a casual lunch or dinner dish in its own right or accompanied by, say, a dish of blanched Asian greens tossed with a splash of sesame oil and a touch of soy sauce and plate of steamed rice topped with Chinese barbecued pork which makes a hearty shared meal.
In Tiong Bahru, while Karen and I are stir frying, we despatch the husbands down the road to the barbeque pork man, they have a quick tipple at the bar next door while Uncle Barbeque is slicing and dicing and then they trot (or weave) back home just as the noodles are ready.
Dinner is served.
Rosie
SINGAPORE KAREN’S SINGAPORE NOODLES
Serves 4 - or 6 as part of a shared meal
250 gm cellophane (glass) noodles
1 red onion, finely sliced
4-5 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced in 2-3cm lengths
150 gm green or snake beans sliced into 2cm lengths
100 gm snow peas
4 whole eggs, whisked together
24 medium, green prawns, heads removed, peeled and deveined
250 gm bean shoots, raggedy ends removed
1 heaped tablespoon Bolsts curry powder (or to taste)
125 ml water
2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce (or to taste)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 shallots (green onions), finely sliced
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely julienned
½ bunch coriander, leaves only
Soak cellophane noodles in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a wok or large frying pan, stir fry the onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil until soft, add the capsicum, beans and snow peas and stir fry 2-3 minutes so they still have a bit of crunch. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Adding more oil if necessary, pour the eggs into the wok, tilting the wok and drawing cooked egg gently towards the centre to allow for uncooked egg to flow onto the hot surface of the wok. Continue until the egg is cooked but still soft. Don’t overcook. Tip the egg onto a plate, fold in half and cut into strips. Set aside.
Add another tablespoon vegetable oil and the remaining 2 teaspoons sesame oil to the wok and when hot cook the prawns in batches until just undercooked. Remove to a plate, they will continue to cook in their own heat.
Mix the curry powder with 2 tablespoons water.
Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil if necessary to the wok, add the drained cellophane noodles, curry powder mix, soy sauce and black pepper and toss for half a minute. Add the cooked vegetables, the prawns and the bean shoots and toss gently just to heat through, being mindful not to break up the noodles. Taste for seasoning, adding more curry powder (mixed in water) for a more spicy hit and/or soy sauce to taste.
Turn out into a serving dish and top with the sliced shallots, chilli, ginger julienne and coriander leaves.