About Singapore Street Noodles
My mother in law was given this recipe from a friend who lived in Singapore for years. Singapore is famous for its hawker culture, in which vendors will cook and sell their street food at hawker centres around the island. These Singapore street noodles were actually created in Hong Kong after WWII, where they are still served today, and are a nod to the noodles you would be served by the hawkers in Singapore.
You can learn more about Singapore’s street food scene here.
I had never been a big noodle fan but my husband loves them, so I decided to try cooking them for him at home. I am so glad I did because these are very different from any other noodles I have tried before. These noodles are fresh, packed full of flavour and loaded with vegetables. The marinade coats everything in a salty spicy sauce which you can taste through every bite.
This recipe is vegan but its very versatile, so if you are cooking for non-vegans, you could bake a fish cake or some pan fried shrimp and serve on top of the noodles. For some extra protein for the vegetarians out there, pan fried tofu is delicious stirred through the noodles, which will also provide extra protein. This is such a healthy and simple dish that’s loaded with vegetables, and is easily adapted to keep everyone happy!
These Singapore Street Noodles are:
- Healthy and packed full of vegetables
- Full of flavour thanks to the soy sauce and sweet chilli marinade
- Vegan, perfect for Veganuary or if you are generally trying to reduce your meat consumption
- Versatile, as the noodles can be topped with tofu, chicken or fish if you wish!
Overview of ingredients & why they work
For the sauce:
- Garlic – Garlic is key to Asian cooking. This recipe uses 1 clove per person
- Coriander – Coriander is widely used in Asian food, and gives the noodles a lot of flavour. Coriander is known to aid digestion and is a good source of Vitamin A
- Chilli – Singapore street noodles call for fresh uncooked chilli, which really adds heat to the dish. If you don’t like spice you can play around with the quantity of chilli. You could omit the chilli completely, or add half a chilli without the seeds
- Thick soy sauce – Its important to use thick soy sauce so that it coats the noodles and vegetables. Thin soy sauce ends up at the bottom of the bowl
- Sweet chilli sauce – This balances out the heat from the chilli, and because its usually thick, it coats everything really well
For the noodles:
- Mange tout – Sweet and crisp, mange tout really elevates this noodle dish
- Pak choi – A staple in Chinese cooking, and cooks very quickly
- Udon noodles – Udon noodles are thick and substantial. I think its great in this recipe because the marinade really sticks to the noodles.
- Vegan dumplings / gyoza – I use frozen vegan dumplings/gyoza like these in this dish. They are widely available and very quick to cook.
Cooking tips
Do not overcook the vegetables. They should be fresh and crunchy, not soft and soggy. You can adjust the vegetables you use according to what you have in the fridge. Baby corn, a finely sliced red bell peppers or julienne carrots would work well. I like to use pak choi and mange tout, and I boil them for just 2 minutes so that they retain their flavour and a lovely crunch.
Singapore noodles are traditionally made with rice noodles. However, I love to use udon noodles because they are thick, substantial and filling. I also find that they carry sauces and flavour very well. You can substitute the udon noodles for any other noodles you like.
Other vegan dishes to love:
Singapore Street Noodles
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These vegan Singapore hawker noodles are fresh, packed full of flavour and loaded with vegetables. They are so simple to make and are seriously satisfying.
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- 1 small bunch of coriander – leaves and a few stalks, roughly sliced
- 1 chilli, finely diced
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons thick soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons thick sweet chilli sauce
- 1 handful of mange tout
- 4 large leaves of pak choi, torn into large pieces
- 1 portion of udon noodles
- 4 vegan frozen dumplings/gyoza
Instructions
- Finely chop the garlic, coriander and chilli, and place into a bowl. Add the soy and chilli sauce and set aside. This will be the marinade for the dish.
- Slice the mange tout in half at a diagonal, and tear the pak choi into large pieces.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the vegetables and boil for 2 minutes, until the veg is piping hot and slightly softened. Drain the veg and set aside in a large bowl. Don’t worry about it cooling down because the hot noodles and dumplings will warm everything up again.
- Bring another pan of water to the boil, add the noodles and cook according to the pack. My noodles took around 5 minutes. About 2 minutes before your noodles are cooked, add your dumplings to the pan. They usually only need around 2 minutes to cook, but check your pack and adjust the timings accordingly. If your dumplings take longer, use a second pan whilst the noodles cook.
- Drain the noodles and dumplings. Be careful that the dumplings don’t break as they can be fragile.
- Add the noodles and dumplings to the bowl with the cooked veg. Add the marinade and toss so that everything is well coated.
- Serve whilst hot, and enjoy with chopsticks (or a fork)!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Chinese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Serves 1
- Calories: 353
- Fat: 3.3g
- Carbohydrates: 88g
- Fiber: 6.5
- Protein: 13.7
Keywords: Vegan, cooking, noodles, singapore, street food
Frequently asked questions
Singapore noodles are not widely eaten in Singapore. They are typically eaten in Hong Kong, and are traditionally made with rice noodles and curry powder. The dish has evolved over time, and there are many different variations. This recipe for Singapore Street Noodles uses udon noodles and no curry powder, giving it a fresh vibrant taste.
Singapore noodles are fresh, spicy, salty and sweet all at the same time. Each bite carries these delicious flavours thanks to the thick marinade that coats the noodles and par-boiled vegetables.
Leave a Reply