Singapore mei fun, a classic noodle dish in Chinese restaurants around the world, did not originate in Singapore–and many Singaporeans have not even heard of the dish that bears their country’s name. It was created in Hong Kong when it was a British colony and curry powder was readily available. Mixed with rice noodles and a variety of proteins and vegetables, it is the perfect seasoning for this satisfying stir-fry. This version of the dish features chicken, shrimp and char siu, but any protein will work. Or substitute mushrooms for a vegetarian version (you can sub vegetarian oyster sauce for regular oyster sauce). Feel free to change up the vegetables too, just keep them thinly sliced for easy eating with the noodles. We prefer a carbon steel wok for this recipe because it adds a charred flavor from the high heat.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Active: | 50 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 7 ounces dried vermicelli rice noodles or thin rice noodles
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder, such as S&B (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 large eggs
- 12 large peeled and deveined shrimp (about 8 ounces), cut in half horizontally (see Cook’s Note)
- 4 ounces char siu (Chinese roast pork), cut into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 small yellow onion, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 medium head napa cabbage (about 1 1/2 pounds), core discarded, thinly sliced
- 2 cups bean sprouts (about 4 ounces)
- 2 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook until just softened and separated, about 1 minute. Drain the noodles and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil; set aside.
- Meanwhile, mix the chicken strips with 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until both are dissolved. Add the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water. Massage the cornstarch slurry into the chicken strips until coated evenly. Set aside to marinate.
- Mix the curry powder, oyster sauce, soy sauce, remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl until combined; set aside.
- Gently separate the noodles with chopsticks or tongs by repeatedly lifting and dropping small bunches of them. Set aside.
- Heat a wok over high heat until a wisp of smoke appears, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirl to coat the wok and let heat until shimmering, about 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon salt until smooth. Pour the eggs into the wok and swirl until a thin sheet of egg is formed. Cook until the top side is set, about 1 minute. Flip with a wok spatula and cook for 30 seconds, then cut the egg sheet into bite-size pieces with the spatula. Transfer the egg to a small bowl.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer opaque, about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook about 30 seconds. Add the char siu and stir-fry until everything is heated through and cooked, another 2 minutes. Set aside on a large plate.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the red and green bell pepper strips, cabbage and 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir-fry until the cabbage begins to wilt, about 1 minute. Transfer the vegetables to the same large plate.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Gently lift and loosen the noodles again and add them to the wok. Stir-fry the noodles, tossing them, until they start to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the curry sauce over the noodles and mix and toss until evenly combined, about 2 minutes. Toss in the chicken, shrimp, char siu, stir fried vegetables, bean sprouts, scallions and eggs until evenly distributed.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 576 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 53 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Cholesterol | 269 mg |
| Sodium | 1077 mg |
Reviews
I’m going to be swapping out all of the peppers and onions and adding some other stuff. I have a question though. Can I put in fish sauce instead of oyster sauce? I already have some fish sauce and I’m not really a fan of oyster sauce. I also cannot stand cabbage so I will be adding extra beans sprouts. Bean sprouts are my favorite Asian ingredient. I also have some Tamarind paste if anybody thinks it wouldn’t hurt to add a little bit of that. Adding that plus fish sauce makes it more like Pad Thai but I’m sure it will still be delicious
This was amazing! Better than my favorite restaurant! Thanks for sharing!
Can you make it without curry?
This was awesome 🙂 tastes just like restaurant’s!