Happy Christmas in July everyone! I know, I know- I should stop wishing time away and enjoy the present. Thanksgiving and Christmas will come in their own time, and I should enjoy summer while it’s still here. You’re right, you’re right (See, Mom, I can say it). But why should I wait 6 months to enjoy some special holiday food? While this is not an American Christmas tradition, Singapore noodles are a staple at our Christmas Eve dinner. And they should become a staple in your kitchen too.
Singapore noodles are basically thin rice noodles seasoned with soy sauce and curry then stir fried a bunch of stuff mixed in. I am using the term “stuff” in the technical way here, but to be more specific: a bunch of good stuff. Like shrimp, char siu (Chinese roast pork), ham, egg, and green onions. It is truly delicious, and you can mix and match the “stuff” to your own tastes. For example, when I helped make this batch, we “forgot” the green pepper my aunt normally includes in her noodles. Oops, what a complete and total accident. A compleeete tragedy…
I have written up the recipe how I generally like it: heavy on the char siu, shrimp, and eggs, little lighter on the ham, and sans green pepper (yuck). Adjust this recipe to make for your family’s tastes. Or adjust to your own tastes, and make your family pick around what they don’t like and search for the missing green pepper.
And now you know why you never see any recipes on here that have peppers in them. Peppers are my arch nemesis, my kryptonite, my mortal enemy. And these Singapore noodles don’t really need it to be yummy anyway.
1 pound 50/40 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
Salt and pepper
Canola oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 slab Char Siu (about 1 1/2 pounds), sliced into thin strips
1/4 pound ham, sliced into thin strips
3 eggs, lightly beaten
16 ounces rice vermicelli
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons madran curry powder, to taste
5 green onions, chopped
In a large bowl, combine shrimp, cooking wine, salt, and pepper. (If you are using frozen/thawed or limp shrimp, cover in cornstarch and let sit for 5-10 minutes beforehand; wash the cornstarch off then add the cooking wine, salt, and pepper.)
Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with canola oil and let heat for 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 5-7 minutes, until tender. Add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink, about 5-7 minutes. Add char siu and ham and cook for 2-3 minutes, until warmed through. Remove from heat, pour into a large bowl, and set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium low heat. Add eggs and rotate pan to ensure egg coats the entire surface. Fry until firm, turning once. Remove egg from pan and cut into strips. Add to shrimp mixture and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and a little bit of oil. Add noodles and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and let noodles cool slightly. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Coat pan liberally with olive oil. Add cooled noodles, stirring to coat with oil. Add soy sauce and stir to coat. Stir slowly and carefully to avoid breaking up the noodles too much. Carefully stir in shrimp, pork, and ham mixture, adding more oil if needed. Add curry powder and stir together. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through. Add green onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 6-8.
Note: slice your onions, char siu, and ham in the shape of the noodles: thin and long
cinnamon freud 