Singapore Noodles
Origin: They call it Singapore Noodles, but no such dish was ever born there.
No hawker stall sells it, no grandmother remembers it.
It came instead from Hong Kong, mid-20th century — when Cantonese chefs cooked for Western travelers chasing the “flavors of the East.” They took rice vermicelli, tossed it with char siu, shrimp, and the empire’s bottled dream: British curry powder.
Golden, fragrant, safe — they named it Singapore to make it sound exotic.
Meanwhile, the real Singapore already pulsed with mee siam, hokkien mee, and curry bee hoon — dishes too rooted, too real to be tamed for foreign menus.
Singapore Noodles is a colonial mirage — a story written in spice and fiction, still steaming in takeout boxes across the world.
Ingredients
“ A tangle of rice noodles stir-fried with curry, vegetables, and fire—bright, bold, and unapologetically loud.”
8 ounces thin rice noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Fresh basil for garnishing
Juice of 1/2 lime, plus wedges for serving
How The Alchemy Happens
Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, the scallions, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon curry powder, stir until the vegetables are coated and the curry powder is lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon curry powder to the skillet.
Add the drained noodles and cook, tossing, until they turn yellow, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, and chicken broth and cook, tossing, until most of the liquid evaporates, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add sesame oil.
Stir in the lime juice and taste for flavor.
Add more soy sauce and/or curry powder to suit your taste.
Top each serving with basil and serve with lime wedges.
“ To the cooks who turn chaos into flavor—this is your altar.”
— The Wizard’s Table Codex