Not made in Singapore: The curious case of Singapore noodles
By
Max Veenhuyzen
6 May 2021 - 10:31 AM UPDATED 6 May 2021 - 1:29 PM
--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights on SBS Food at 7.00pm and 10.00pm, or stream it free on SBS On Demand. ---
In the hawker centres and coffee shops of Singapore, people can lock chopsticks with all sorts of noodle dishes:
Laksa jazzed up with tamarind and coconut milk, supremely comforting
wonton noodles and plates of calorific
char kway teow, smoky and charry from fire-breathing woks — to name a few.
One dish that people will struggle to find, ironically, are the eponymously named Singapore noodles. Or at least what the rest of the world knows as Singapore noodles: rice vermicelli noodles, stir-fried with meat, vegetables and — the dish's defining feature — curry powder.
Rice noodles and curry powder are defining features.
Like the Hainanese chicken rices and Mongolian lambs of the world, Singapore noodles weren't invented in the place after which they're named. Instead, the dish was created in Hong Kong sometime after WWII by Cantonese chefs who were keen to find a use for curry powder — a recent addition to the southern Chinese pantry via British colonies. The dish was named 'Singapore noodles' as a nod to the cosmopolitan nature of both city-states.
SINGAPORE NOODLES RECIPE
Easy Singapore noodles
Mark Humphries walks us through his take on a Singapore-namesake noodle classic which originated in Hong Kong, inspired by the Indian-Chinese influence of Singapore's cuisine.
As cooks from Hong Kong and southern China migrated around the world, they brought Singapore noodles with them — as well as fried rice, dim sum, roast meats and other Cantonese standards that would go on to define "Chinese cuisine" globally.
The dish goes by different names internationally including — but not limited to — 'Singapore-style fried bee hoon', 'Singapore rice noodles' and 'Sing Chow noodles', an anglicisation of Xingzhou, Singapore's Chinese name.
But despite its name, Singapore noodles aren't something you're likely to find in a Singaporean or Malaysian hawker restaurant. Instead, look for them at Cantonese or Hong Kong eateries.
ArChan Chan, an Australian chef who was born in Hong Kong and has clocked time with the Andrew McConnell restaurant group, including time as head chef at Cantonese-inspired Melbourne restaurant Ricky & Pinky, has fond memories of the dish.
"I would say, in general, that most people [in Hong Kong] would know what
xing zhou chao mei fun [the dish's Cantonese name] is," says Chan who relocated to Singapore in mid-2018 to cook at LeVel 33, an urban craft brewery overlooking Singapore's Marina Bay.
ArChan Chan, an Australian chef born in Hong Kong, tells SBS Food most people in Hong Kong are familiar with Singapore noodles.
"It's very classic and like ying chow
chao fan [fried rice] or a Caesar salad: you know what's in it. There's vermicelli, a little bit of turmeric, probably some egg. When you say the dish's name, I can already taste it in my mind. It's a classic
cha chaan teng [Hong Kong cafe] dish."
As is commonplace with well-travelled dishes, the recipe for Singapore noodles has been adapted to suit local tastes and available ingredients. In veteran Australian food writer Terry Durack's cookbook
Noodle, he admits that he cares little for the crucial curry powder, but won't hold it against you if you want to slip a teaspoon of "good, fresh Malaysian curry powder" into your version.
New York-based Australian food writer
Hetty McKinnon discovers that, in a pinch, Middle Eastern shawarma spices make a fine ring-in when curry powder isn't at hand.
HETTY MCKINNON'S TAKE ON SINGAPORE NOODLES
Shawarma ‘Singapore’ noodles with corn and cauliflower
This particular recipe is a bit of a happy accident – it came about one day when I was making Singapore noodles and I spotted a bottle of New York Shuk’s Shawarma spice on the condiment tray next to my wok.
Growing up, Merivale executive chef and cooking show Chef's Line star Dan Hong enjoyed a version that his restaurateur mum Angie cooked using the Clive of India brand of spice mix. However, at his Mr Wong restaurant in Sydney, he places his trust in the S&B brand (he likes its downplayed turmeric flavours) and also makes a paste using butter, garlic, curry leaves and curry powder, rather than putting the curry directly into the wok.
"Making the paste adds more body to the noodle and it's also a consistency thing," Hong says. "But other than that, it's pretty much the same ingredients as the classic Hong Kong style, except I use shredded snow peas and black fungi instead of capsicum: I hate that vegetable."
Dan Hong enjoys his mum Angie's take on Singapore noodles, but cooks his own at his restaurant Mr Wong in Sydney.
Although ArChan Chan hasn't come across Singapore noodles since she began working in Singapore, she has spied a dish called "Hong Kong noodles" — noodles with prawn and wontons — at hawker centres. And just as your average Singaporean would struggle to pick out Singapore noodles in an extensive line up of noodle dishes, Chan can't recall eating these so-called "Hong Kong noodles" during her travels.
"I think it's the same as Singapore stir-fried vermicelli in that someone has tried to capture the essence of Hong Kong," says Chan.
"Maybe it's revenge for the Singapore noodles? But I haven't tried them. I refuse to recognise the dish. Personally, I like to try things that are a bit more local and authentic rather than something that's 'impressionist'."
Love the story? Follow the author here: Instagram @maxveenhuyzen.
Where to try Singapore noodles around Australia
Adelaide
Laksa House
Brisbane
Singapore & Co
Canberra
Ming's Pantry
Darwin
Noodle House Mitchell
Melbourne
Flower Drum
Sarawak Kitchen
Perth
Hong Kong Tea House
Kowloon Cafe
Sydney
Superbowl Chinese Restaurant
Mr Wong
FOOD FROM SINGAPORE
The art of kaya: coconut jam is serious business in Singapore
Get the story behind the curious green coconut jam that’s made its way from toast to cocktails in Singapore.
How to order kopi like a Singaporean local
Singapore's artisanal coffee scene might be on the rise, but old-school kopi will never lose its charm. Learn the lingo and get your caffeine hit like a local.
WATCH: Adam Liaw slurps up Singapore's Katong laksa
328 Katong Laksa is known for making the best version of this short vermicelli noodle seafood laksa, a specialty of the Singapore suburb of Katong.
Five Singaporean dishes to try before you die
Singaporeans are said to be obsessed with food, and it’s easy to understand why when trying their diverse and delicious cuisine.
These owners have delayed retirement to continue cooking Singaporean food
The Old Raffles Place's Alan and Carol Han can't stop cooking “carrot cake” and char kway teow – and Melbourne doesn't want them to stop.
Singapore is one of the only places in the world where street food vendors earn Michelin stars
That hawker food scene in Crazy Rich Asians had as salivating. So we asked Adam Liaw to share some of his tastiest and most affordable hawker food experiences.
Eat your way through Singapore
Destination Flavour Singapore takes Adam Liaw on a journey of food, culture and family spanning the length and breadth of this Asian food mecca.
Tweet
