Here’s an easy version of Singapore Noodles made using chicken and bacon instead of having to hunt down Chinese BBQ Pork and peel fresh prawns. Same sauce, same vermicelli noodles, just as delicious. You can make this tonight!
The finished dish photos in this post were taken by Rob Palmer.
Singapore chicken vermicelli noodles
These noodles are a simpler “I can make this tonight!” version of Singapore Noodles, a firm takeout favourite here in Australia. It’s made with yellow curry flavoured vermicelli noodles stir fried with vegetables, egg ribbons, Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) and fresh prawns. It’s fast to make – if you happen to have the pork and prawns on hand. Which I never do.
So here’s a version you can make using more regular weekly grocery items. Bacon, chicken, baby spinach and bean sprouts (useful no-chop vegetables I always have). Plus red capsicum strips and egg ribbons (literally just a thin omelette cut into strips), both of which are Singapore Noodle staples, all tossed in the Singapore Noodle curry flavoured sauce.
Ingredients in Singapore vermicelli noodles
This one’s a great versatile recipe you can make with whatever vegetables you’ve got on hand. I think you’ll also like that there’s a good amount of vegetables in it, so it’s a well-rounded complete meal.
The proteins
A mix of chicken, bacon and egg keeps things interesting. Feel free to change the chicken to another protein. But I really urge you to use the bacon. It adds a great flavour pop that replaces the little bits of Chinese BBQ Pork that you get in traditional Singapore Noodles.
Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they are juicier than breast and tenderloin, though they work just fine too. We only use 150g/5 oz, which is around one large thigh. Don’t forget we have bacon and egg too!
Curry powder and salt – To season the chicken. Simple but never boring, because we get flavour from the sauce too! For the curry powder, you just need the regular kind you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). No need to hunt down an obscure Singaporean curry powder! Avoid hot curry powder – unless you want your noodles spicy. 🙂
Bacon – Streaky bacon, for the best flavour. Though lean bacon will work too (we call it “shortcut bacon” here in Australia, the round eye part that’s devoid of flavour – oops, I mean fat 😂).
Eggs – Two eggs which we will use to make a thin omelette crepe which we then slice into ribbons. Signature feature of traditional Singapore Noodles which we’re keeping!
FOR THE STIR-FRIED NOODLES
Vermicelli noodles – The thin white dried “pokey” noodles that are prepared by soaking in hot water. Very common these days, in the noodle or Asian aisle in grocery stores.
Not to be confused with glass noodles / bean thread noodles which are the clear kind (see Glass Noodle Salad recipe for a closer look at these). While you can make this recipe with glass noodles, it is not quite as good because the noodles are so slippery, the sauce doesn’t stick to them very well!
Garlic and onion – Stir fry staples!
Capsicum (bell pepper) – I like the red strips in traditional Singapore Noodles so I kept them for this recipe.
Bean sprouts and baby spinach – “Grab and toss” vegetables that helps make this recipe fast to make while adding more vegetables so it’s a well rounded me. Feel free to use more of either, or substitute with other cook-able leafy greens. Or you could be a real rebel and make the effort to chop some vegetables yourself!
SINGAPORE NOODLE SAUCE
And here’s what you need for the sauce, which is the same as the sauce used in traditional Singapore Noodles.
Soy sauce – Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.
Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Without, the flavour is missing something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic substitute – 1/3 cup (80 ml) low sodium chicken stock. Expect to toss the noodles for an extra minute or two as it will require a little extra time for the sauce to reduce.
Curry powder – Just the regular stuff you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). Avoid hot – unless you want the heat!
White pepper rather than black is the standard in Asian cooking. The flavour is a little fresher than black pepper, and you also cannot see it. Whereas if you use black pepper (which you totally can) you will see little black specks on the noodles.
How to make Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles
As with all stir fries, have all the ingredients chopped and ready to toss into the pan. Because once you start cooking, there is no time to stop!
Soak vermicelli noodles
Prepare the vermicelli noodles per the packet directions. Usually it says to soak in warm or boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain. Nice and easy!
TIP: Don’t soak the noodles until you’re ready to start cooking. The longer the noodles sit around, the more prone they are to breaking. This tip applies to most noodles.
MAKING THE STIR FRIED NOODLES
Once your ingredients are chopped and measured out, it takes around 10 minutes to cook from start to finish. Nice and fast, as most stir fried noodles are!
Toss the chicken in the curry powder and salt, then set aside. There’s no need to let it marinate because the chicken pieces are so small and each piece is coated in the tasty curry powder.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a small jug.
Egg omelette – First up, make the egg ribbons. Heat a tiny amount of oil in the pan – just enough to spread across the base. Then once hot, pour the whisked eggs in and swirl so it covers the base of the pan. Leave it on the stove until the surface sets but is still a bit wet – it literally takes around 30 seconds.
Egg ribbons – Flip or slide the omelette onto a cutting board. Once it’s cool enough to handle, roll it up like a cigar then slice thinly. Voila! Egg ribbons!
Stir fry – The order in which things are added into the pan is very deliberate! First, the bacon. It needs a head start and also I like to get some of the fat melting into the pan so it flavours everything else. After a minute, add the onion and cook until it’s starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken and cook until the surface is seared (the inside will still be raw).
Capsicum and garlic – Next, the capsicum and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, by which time the chicken will be cooked through, the onion is translucent and the bacon is golden. Perfect!
Noodles and sauce – Add (in this order) the baby spinach, bean sprouts, noodles then sauce. The idea being that the noodles weigh the fluffy veg down! Then toss for a good 2 minutes until the sauce reduces and stains the noodles a lovely yellow(y) colour. Heads up – there may be some noodle breakage, with some noodle brands breaking more easily than others. And that’s totally ok.
Egg ribbons – And finally, gently toss through the egg ribbons just to disperse. Then serve!
Today’s photos – shot by Rob Palmer!
Before I sign off, I just want to make mention of the photos in today’s post. The finished dish photos were taken by Rob Palmer who is a professional photographer here in Sydney I have worked with on various projects, including my cookbook. These photos were taken at my house in a make-shift studio we set up for the day.
Getting Rob to take the photos for my website is part of my longer term plan to try to get a better work-life balance. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve been struggling in recent years with my workload as my team, business and activities has expanded. And I am determined to fix it! Life is too short, and I am genuinely worried I will burn out.
There will be a transition period. And I’d always like to do some of the photos because I genuinely enjoy it. But I hope to eventually have Rob taking most of the photos for the website. Plus, we can do more photos with Dozer and I in them!
I’d like to do a bit of a RecipeTin-world update soon, because there’s actually a lot that’s been happening which is why I’ve been publishing less than my typical 3 new recipes a week. So I won’t go into more details today, I’ll sign off here.
For now, please enjoy today’s new recipe! I really hope you try it. It’s a terrific complete-meal stir fry that’s simple to make, with adaptable ingredients and just requires a trip to your everyday grocery store. Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Easy Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles
Ingredients
- 100 g/3.5 oz dried vermicelli noodles (not glass noodles)
Singapore noodles sauce:
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce , or all-purpose soy (not dark soy) (Note 1)
- 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine, Note 2)
- 3 tsp curry powder (Note 3)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper (sub black pepper)
Chicken:
- 150g/ 5 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs (sub breast or tenderloin), cut in half lengthways then finely sliced into 5mm / 1/5″ strips
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp curry powder (Note 3)
Stir fry add-ins:
- 2 tbsp plain oil (canola, veg, peanut)
- 2 eggs , whisked
- 100g/3 oz streaky bacon , chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 brown onion , finely sliced
- 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 very heaped cup bean sprouts (or more leafy greens)
- 1 very heaped cup baby spinach (or other cook-able leafy greens or more bean sprouts)
Instructions
- Sauce – Mix the sauce in a small bowl or jug.
- Season chicken – Toss the seasoned chicken ingredients in a bowl.
- Egg ribbons – Heat a small amount of the oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Pour the egg in a swirl to make a thin omelette. Once the surface is set (literally 30 seconds), slide or flip it onto a cutting board. Cool so you can handle it, roll it up into a cigar then cut into 7mm / 1/3" strips. Separate. Voila! Egg ribbons!
- Stir-fry – Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until it starts to wilt and the bacon is light golden (about 2 minutes). Add the chicken and cook until the surface is seared. Then add the garlic and capsicum and cook for another 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Noodles – Add (in this order) the baby spinach, bean sprouts, noodles then sauce. Using 2 spatulas, toss well for 1 1/2 minutes or until the sauce stains the noodles. There will be noodle breakage – that's normal.
- Finish – Toss through the egg ribbons (gently, just to disperse) then serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Ahh, poor Dozer! He’s had a rough week. Rough few months, actually!
In the last week, he’s been to the vet 7 times due to what was finally determined to be acute gastro, though at one stage there was a concern it was a much more serious issue (such as megaesophagus). In the almost 12 years I’ve had him, I’ve never seen him in such distress, pain and not to mention the floods of un-controllable💩 (the words “explosion” and “flood gates” come to mind).
There’s been a handful of midnight hospital visits, a couple of all-nighters, and much time spent trying to figure out food he’ll eat that’s laryngeal paralysis* and gastro-friendly.
Let’s just say canned dog food doesn’t make the cut. I know, I know, no one is surprised!
* This is the condition he was diagnosed with earlier this year in which his larynxes are paralysed which means he is at high risk of food getting into his lungs. This causes lung infections which can be deadly. So he is on a special diet these days.
Anyway, in a nutshell, it’s been a rough week for poor Dozer. Well, actually, it’s been 10 days now. He seems to be at the tail end of it now though still not back to his normal self. Right now he’s sitting under the table at my feet, clearly feeling a little nauseous though nowhere near as extreme as it was last week. (He has anti-nausea pills. I skipped this morning thinking he was ok. I’ll be putting him back on them for a while, I think!).
But he is much, much better than he was on the weekend which was pretty horrific. The worst part was seeing him in such pain, finding him curled up in the middle of the night under a bush in the far corner of the garden. I knew something was really wrong. 😢
I’m so thankful he’s feeling better now!
Oh – but finishing with a little fun: here he is in the early stages of his gastro when I resorted to man-buns:
But by the time the weekend rolled around and after the 20th butt wash, we caved and shaved his butt. You don’t need to see a photo of that. 😂
Hope to bring more positive Dozer news in the next post! – Nagi x
Christine says
I wholeheartedly agree with others that you could take timeout to care for Dozer and Yourself. REST.
Christine…💕
constance says
Dear Nagi and dozer, My heart goes out to both you. I totally understand the love between the two of you. It is so hard and I know. I have gone through this. I have my number 6 golden retriever.
Love dozer each day. Talk and whisper to him. He understands and hear everything. Hug and love him. He’s been a very good good boy. Always in your heart. He loves you very much.
Mary Ann says
Lovely Dozer and Nagi, two precious angels! Tough times for you both. Bless you for your love and care of Dozer. And bless Dozer for being Dozer! Nagi, you are a terrific mom!🩷
Eva says
I’m so sorry what you both have to go through. But he assured it’s better for him not to eat as his system needs all focus on healing rather than digestion, animals know better! Wishing sweet Dozier speedy recovery, calm and good days to come! Wishing you dear Nagi, strength and sunshine to go through these days!
Angela says
I’m so sorry to hear about Dozer’s issues. So glad he’s starting to feel better. Just take care of yourself and Dozer. Don’t worry about everything else. We will all still be here. This recipe sounds so good!
Kathy says
Agreeing with a number of people on this post, including Michael, Perggy, Janny J, please look after yourself and your beautiful doggy. We have plenty of recipes to be going on with. Hope he gets better soon. Lots of love to you both ❤️in my prayers 🙏🏻
Diana says
Dear Nagi and Dozer, oh I feel for you. Our fur child Harvey, also a GR who is only 4 years old had terrible bouts of gastro. After a lot of research we changed his diet to 1/2 Lyka and 1/2 Eureka biscuits. It was life changing for him ( and us). Not sure if this would be ok for Dozer with his condition but I highly recommend these dog food options, they are fantastic. All locally made, ethically sourced- and they deliver ! Big hugs and sloppy kisses to your beautiful big boi.
Terry Anne Walker says
Please slow down and share time with Dozer. Your fans will still be here waiting – and we all love Dozer too! Lots of hugs for you & Dozer. And I’m so glad to see you delegating!
Donna says
I also came here just to check on how poor Dozer is doing but then decided to make the noodles for dinner, since I had most of the ingredients and it sounded intriguing. I’m not usually a fan of curry flavor but after going out for a fresh jar of curry powder and making the recipe, I had to write to thank you Nagi because you never disappoint! I was cooking for just myself and had to stop from eating the whole thing. This will definitely be a recipe that gets repeated again and again.
Michael says
Don’t worry about your fans, take care of Dozer and Your Self. Plese be well. Mike.
Sue Conen says
Hi Nagi
As I was reading your blog “Today’s Photos – Rob” you sounded very down and I thought something’s not right here. I skipped the recipe and went straight to reading “Life of Dozer”. I am so sorry to hear he has been unwell again. Agree with Janny J, and Perggy – take a break – we all understand what you are going through and what you’re all about. Be a little selfish and take time. Know our thoughts and prayers are with you and lots of warm hugs coming your way.
Samantha says
I have been an avid follower of you Nagi for a few years now (corn and chicken drumstick soup was my intro to you 🙂 ) and feel so much for you with Dozer’s medical issues.
We were at a family gathering on the weekend and you and Dozer were a topic of conversation! Please know how much you are thoguht of and use all that power to power through. xo
Janny J says
Hi Nagi and Dozer…
It’s sad watching them go through this isn’t it? I hope he’s much better…. We truly have so many of your yummy recipes still to try, so please take a bit of a break, we’ll understand.
Sending massive hugs to you both. Janny J
Perggy says
What a terrible time you and Dozer have had! Please take care of yourself; we have plenty of recipes on the website that are wonderful so don’t fret about giving us less new ones 💕💕
Yvonne Washburn says
Nagi, I am so glad that Dozer is better. He is so well loved and well cared for. A very lucky dog indeed.
As for this recipe, it is absolutely wonderful! I made it tonight for my son, who has been helping me all day, and his exact quote was: This is next level! This is IT!” We will absolutely make this again! I have not tried one of your recipes that did not turn out amazing. We are so lucky to have you helping us along. Thank you!!
Karan Walker says
Please know that we are hoping for the best possible outcome for both you and Dozer. You are in out thoughts.
Love the food.
Denise says
You are going through a rough patch at the moment Nagi. I fully understand how you feel because my husband have gone through similar experiences with our fur children. Stay strong and keep faith that Dozer and you will get through this together.
Be says
Sorry Dozer is having health issues. It must be hard on the both of you. I’m glad you are trying to avoid burn out. It’s quite alright to take a real break to recharge and renew. Thanks for the Singapore noodle recipe — now I know what to do with those vermicelli! Still, I am happy to wait until you are feeling better before producing more content. Wishing you and yours all the best from Canada.
Lynn Warchola says
What we do for LOVE! Dozer knows you are there for him and understands your profound love for him. You are a very special mother!
Feel his love for you and let it fill you with strength to do what you have to do. I will pray that you find peace and love and better days ahead.
Lynn XO
Amy says
Glad to hear Dozer is getting better.
I don’t know how you manage the strength to share recipes, look after dozer as well as write a post to give us an update!
When my fur baby had gastro all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and cuddle her. It’s the worst feeling when we can see them in severe discomfort and we don’t know 100% what’s wrong and just have to wait for them to get better. times like these, I wish humans and dogs could actually talk.
Do take care of yourself during this time Nagi and don’t stretch yourself too thin. Dozer needs his mum to be well as well.
Thanks again for giving us an update. x