I love Singapore rice noodles – pan fried thin rice vermicelli with curry powder and turmeric. But most the ones you get at restaurants have fish sauce and or meat. So I make my own vegetarian Singapore rice noodles. Funnily, this dish is not Singaporean – you won’t find it in Singapore. It is most likely an invention of Hong Kong chefs. Irrespective of its origins, this is a great vegetarian noodle dish!
I use S&B Oriental Curry powder for this recipe. For more about curry powders, read this post.
Tips for perfect Singapore rice noodles
- Don’t over soak the noodles. Read package instructions and make sure the noodles aren’t sitting in water longer than needed. Drain the noodles well. If you land up over-soaking the noodles, try to rescue them by spreading the drained noodles on a large platter and placing them under a fan, this should dry them out a bit.
- Don’t over cook the vegetables, they will get soggy.
- Use medium-high heat, this will ensure that the vegetables and noodles don’t get soggy.
- Work quickly. Have all the ingredients prepped before hand, and then work quickly. Don’t let the vegetables or the noodles sit in the wok for too long. When you add the noodles and sauce to the wok, if you feel you are taking too long (over 2 minutes) to mix everything well, take the wok off the heat, and mix the noodles. You can then re-heat the noodles before serving.
- Remember that every curry powder is different. Some are spicier/hotter than others. You may have to use more or less depending on the curry powder you use. Taste the noodles at the end, and add more curry powder and soy sauce if needed, then re-heat.
- The taste of Singapore rice noodles develops over time (because of the curry powder), so it tastes even better the next day!
Singapore Rice Noodles Recipe
serves about 4
Ingredients
6 oz rice sticks, also called rice vermicelli or rice noodles
For the sauce
2 teaspoons curry powder, I recommend S&B Oriental curry powder
½ teaspoon turmeric
Crushed dry red pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar, optional
½ teaspoon vinegar, optional
1 tablespoon mushroom flavored soy sauce (available in Asian markets), substitute with soy sauce
For the noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 heaping teaspoon garlic paste (use a mortar and pestle or grate in a microplane)
1 heaping teaspoon ginger paste (use a mortar and pestle or grate in a microplane), optional
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup cubed fried tofu, available in Asian markets
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 heaping cup beansprouts
3 scallions, chopped
4 lemon or lime wedges
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Method:
- Soak the rice noodles according to package instructions. (This usually involves soaking them in warm or cold water for 2-5 minutes).Drain well and set aside in the colander.
- Whisk together all ingredients for sauce, along with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large wok, that is atleast 12 inches wide. Add the ginger and garlic and let them sizzle on medium heat, till fragrant and lightly browned.
- Pour in half of the sauce. Work quickly, and mix everything together, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Cook till the sauce starts to bubble, about 20 seconds.
- Throw in red peppers, carrot, cabbage, and tofu.
- Crank up the heat to medium-high and sauté till the vegetables just start to wilt, about 2 minutes. Don’t over cook the vegetables.
- Add the soaked, drained rice stick noodles to the vegetables. Also add the remaining sauce. Working quickly, and using two spoons or tongs, toss and combine everything till the noodles are well coated in the sauce.
- Turn off heat and add sesame oil, bean sprouts and scallions. Toss well.
- Serve immediately garnished with chopped cilantro and lemon or lime wedges on the side to squeeze over the noodles.
I love Singapore curry noodles too but I don’t know why I never thought of making it. Now, I’ll give it a shot. Great recipe, great photos, Sala.
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Sara Reply:
September 22nd, 2013 at 9:43 am
I never thought of using curry for noodles but I must say this recipe tastes amazing even if you skip the optional ingredients. Thank you very much for sharing!
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That looks fabulous…. Bee Hoon (that is sold in Singapore) is pretty close to what you have here but you are right, it’s not called Singapore noodles
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I have a packet of rice noodle and I just googling for a recipe
your meal looks perfect!
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Looks good, can’t wait to try this! We have a vegan Chinese restaurant in the area (Yuan Fu) that makes a good Singapore noodle dish, but they dial it down a bit (in terms of pepper).
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I have been looking for a good recipe of Vegetarian Singapore Noodles or a long time. This one looks great. Can’t wait to try it. Your recipes are great:)… Thanks Sala…
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Sala…That looks soo great! We do have a similar dish here in Singapore..Called Vegetable Bee Hoon:-) Looks almost similar to ur yummy Singapore Noodles..i don’t think they add turmeric and curry powder:-) But i bet the curry powder will make it hell lot flavourful:-)
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Absolutely love Singapore style noodles. That’s what we call it in Malaysia, while ordering at restaurants
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A delicious dish! Rice noodles are scrumptious.
Cheers,
Rosa
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Looks fab – can’t wait to try.
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I love singapore noodles and love your veggie version.
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I can’t seem to find a print option for this recipe – is there one? I want to try it for dinner tonight, looks yummy! Thanks!
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
October 9th, 2012 at 8:24 am
I’m working on a print option. Till then you can cut and paste the recipe into a word document and then print
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ED Reply:
October 11th, 2012 at 2:47 am
caryn, I find using a site called “printwhatyoulike” good. I have the problem of no print option on my website too and that’s what I normally recommend.
Sala, I’m so happy you posted this. Singapore noodles is something I haven’t eaten in ages but love. I am definitely going to make it.
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I never tried making noodles at home. Nobody craves for noodles at home too. But I think I must give it a try. Yours seems to be good. Does tofu make a difference to the recipe? Can I skip it?; coz we don’t get tofu here.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
October 9th, 2012 at 8:24 am
Yes you can skip the tofu. Maybe add mushrooms instead.
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I want to try it, This looks great to me.
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Such a healthy dish packed full of flavour! I don’t make enough use of noodles so will definitely have to give this one a go!
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Lovely photos and the recipe sounds delicious, worthy of placing on Pinterest.com. Thanks, too, for the reminder of your article on curries, Sala.
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That definitely looks yummy!! Such a simple recipe, i wish i could try it right away. I am at work drooling over your pictures…
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never thought of making this at home, now will def. try. thank you so much.
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wow what a recipe drolling on it.First time to your space they look amazing.
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Looking fantastic..Nice pics & awesome recipe!
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Wow! This dish was amazing! It was so delicious we ate the entire meal in one sitting (and there are only 3 of us). Thank you for the great recipe. I love your website, and will be back often.
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I found your recipe when I googled rice noodle dish. Just made it this evening and it was soooo good. I really appreciated your explicit directions considering I have never made a rice noodle dish before. I did not have bean sprouts so I used celery instead for a little extra crunch. Also I added shiitake mushrooms for some added vitamin D. I was so pleased with the flavor and I think the cilantro and lemon juice made it extra tasty. My boyfriend and I thank you for our delicious dinner. I’m excited to have found your site and can’t wait to try more of your reipes. Your truly, One Happy Belly
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Hi! I tried your recipe today, and I loved the noodles
It’s great – just like what I might eat in a restaurant. One quick question: your recipe does not call for salt. Is that intentional? I tried it just as you described, but realized I needed salt to taste and added a little bit towards the end.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 24th, 2013 at 9:10 am
The soy sauce is generally salty enough. But if you want more saltiness you can add either soy sauce or salt
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Hi Sala!
I love all of your recipes, and I’m going to try this one tonight! Whole Foods did not have pre-packaged fried tofu. I’ve never fried tofu cubes before. I just bought the extra firm refrigerated variety. Any tips on how to fry it?
Thanks,
Aruna
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This looks amazing. I’m going to try this week! Thanks!
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Amazing. Thanks for sharing…
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So wonderful, my new favorite lunch! I haven’t gone to the store in awhile so I left off the tofu, bean sprouts, green onion and fresh garlic. I subbed with double the cabbage (knappa), snow peas, garlic powder and some red onion (cooked with other veggies). It sounds gross in writing but was still super yum.
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This recipe is AMAZING! This is very different from other dishes I make. I love how the curry flavor mixes in with everything. Seriously impressed
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