Guest Blog: Gettin Comfy in Singapore

Once again I am happy to host a new guest blogger to The Rantings of an Amateur Chef. Roz contacted me and inquired if I would be interested in an authentic Chinese comfort food recipe. My response….YES! Check out Roz at Letters From Roz and the great recipe below. Welcome Roz…

Cooking Up Memories of Singapore and Hawkers Stands!

By Roz Weitzman

Singapore Noodles is a famous all-in-one dish that contains vegetables, meat, seafood, and noodles. Contrary to the name, it did not originate in Singapore but in the West – as a dish borrowed from the Singaporean cuisine that is itself a blending of Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Indian flavours. Singapore Noodles will tantalize your senses with delicate aromas, a beautiful appearance, and a fantastic taste! A very fragrant and mildly spicy dish, it brings back pleasant memories of the Hawker Stands of Singapore, where inexpensive and fresh cooked foods can be purchased from open air stands from open air stands and eaten under cover from the daily rains and hot sun.

Many recipes for Singapore Noodles contain a long list of hard-to-find items but this recipe uses leftovers and ingredients found in your own cupboards or refrigerator/freezer. Even a brief visit to the supermarket is all that is necessary to make this beautiful dish.

Don’t be afraid to add a little more of this or subtract a little of that as you like – prepare this dish to suit your own taste and style. Make it mild or take it up a notch…even fiery hot if you are so inclined. No fancy cookware is required; only the all-purpose wok, and a little prep time. No need for other side dishes either – and best of all, no fancy cooking skills required. I hope you give it a try, and happy Chinese cooking!

Note About Some Ingredients:

Chinese Rice Wine (黄酒)

Also called Chinese cooking wine. Use rice wine in meat marinades and on fish dishes. It gives a nice toasted flavour with a hint of liquor and tenderizes meat. It is usually used with soy sauce and cornstarch to give the marinade more taste.

Chinese Chicken Bouillon Granules (with MSG)

The staple of all Chinese cooking, for flavour and flavor-enhancement, this is used in virtually all dishes, even cold ones. Unless you buy it in a Chinese supermarket, it will likely not have MSG. MSG has been given a bad rap over the years, but I don’t feel any ill effects from food cooked with it, although others may.

Long Zhou (Mung Bean) Vermicelli Noodles

Versatile and healthy, bean thread noodles are great for those who have gluten intolerance because they are made from ground Mung beans, not wheat. Also, because bean thread noodles are flavourless, they take on flavours of other ingredients, particularly broths and sauces.

Soy Sauce (酱油)

Anyone who has ever eaten Chinese food has seen soy sauce. Put it on your rice, put it in your soup, and marinate meat with it at home: it is delicious. If you can, get an authentic Chinese brand, not a Western brand. If in doubt about a good brand, ask a Chinese shopkeeper. Here in China, there are many brands. You will need to test the ones available at your supermarket to see what you like. Dark soy sauce is less salty than supreme or light, which are saltier, and a good choice if you are watching your salt intake.

I buy Lee Kum Kee label for all sauces because it’s a trusted brand and the bottle contains English explanation of the contents. The salt content is listed on the bottle. Both my light and dark ones contain the same content (written in the following format ie. 0.70g/100ml).

For eating raw fish, such as salmon, use it with Japanese wasabi and Maggie Soy Sauce, which is “the best” brand. In North America, check a Chinese supermarket.

Singapore Noodles

Serves 4-6

1 cup peeled and diced prawns (shrimp)

1 cup thinly sliced pork and/or chicken

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 teaspoon Chinese chicken bouillon granules

¼ cup oil, divided

2 eggs, beaten

1½ tablespoons curry powder

3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

2 cloves minced garlic

1 red capsicum, thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

6 green onions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced diagonally

1 carrot, cut thinly into strips

1 cup Chinese cabbage, shredded

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 bundles (approximately ¼ pound) Long Zhou rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained

1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Prepare the noodles. (Step 1 & 2)

Place the prawns, pork and/or chicken, rice wine, soy sauce, ginger, and bouillon granules in a shallow glass or ceramic bowl. Stir well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate. (Step 3)

Heat the wok, add 2 tablespoons oil, and wait for it to heat. Stir-fry the eggs until cooked. Transfer to the plate. (Step 4)

Heat the wok, add 2 tablespoons oil, and wait for it to heat. Stir-fry the prawn mixture for 1-2 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Use paper towel to wipe the wok clean.

Heat the wok, add remaining oil, and wait for it to heat. Stir-fry the curry powder, ginger, and garlic for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add the red pepper, sprouts, onions, carrot, and cabbage. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until the mixture blends together. (Step 5, 6 & 7)

Add the prawn mixture, egg, and soy sauce. Season with brown sugar and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Add the noodles and toss until coated and heated throughout.

Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh cilantro. (Step 8)

Step 1

Use two bundles of LongMen Vermicelli or rice   noodles.  I cut the bundles in half   with kitchen scissors to shorten the noodles although according to Chinese   superstition, if you cut noodles you will shorten your life.

Step 2		Pour boiling water over the vermicelli and   soak for 5 minutes. Then drain the water and let stand for 10 minutes to dry   out the noodles. Gather up all the ingredients.
Step 3		Prepare the meat and shrimp mixture Chinese   rice wine, chicken powder, soy sauce, cornstarch and ginger and let the   flavours blend for 30 minutes.
Step 4		Heat the wok and add oil. Quickly scramble   the eggs and remove from the wok to a clean bowl.
Step 5		Finely slice the red pepper, green onions,   carrot, Chinese baby cabbage, wash and dry the bean sprouts, and chop the   cilantro, stems and leaves.
Step 6		Reheat the wok and add remaining oil.
Step 7		Stir in the remaining ingredients including   the seasonings and brown sugar, prawn mixture, other vegetables, noodles and   greens. Thoroughly heat and blend.
Step 8		Serve on a beautiful plate or bowl, garnish   with cilantro and eat with chopsticks or a fork. Goes great with a Tsingdao   beer or a glass of white wine.

About Roz Weitzman

Roz been working in China as an International School Principal for 7 years and loving the experience of living here. She has been an avid cook all her life and is currently in the process of epublishing a Chinese Cookbook called “Secrets of Chinese Comfort Food – Simple Everyday Cooking” through http://www.smashwords.com.

Since living in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in southwest China, she has begun to write recipes about Yunnan food. By blogging and writing letters about her ‘adventures’ she keeps in touch with my friends and family all over the world! Stay tuned for more updates and recipes on my blog at http://www.rozw.wordpress.com/. She’s interested to hear about how your adventure into her recipes turns out – you can contact her at Roz@candismail.com.cn.

If you have an interest in writing a guest blog, let me know at rantingchef@yahoo.com.