Vegetarian Singapore Noodles with BBQ Mushroom

If you are familiar with Chinese food and you might have already heard of (or even had) a noodle dish called Singapore noodles. Despite the name, it is not of Singapore origin. In fact, it is a very popular Cantonese dish created by Chinese cook! It has a very different taste than most of the usual Chinese noodles, because its main seasoning is curry powder! Traditionally, Singapore noodles is made with very thin rice noodles, barbecue pork, prawns, onions and bean sprouts. Stir-fried in a hot wok until every strand of noodle is coated with the warm spice and the noodles has a wonderful slightly springy texture. The main seasoning is curry powder and soy sauce, some add chili to achieve extra heat. It is one of the most famous dishes in Cantonese cuisine, every cook has his or her own version of this noodle dish, and I have my own version too – I use the ingredients I have in hands to create a vegetarian version which I am sharing here with you. The noodles I use in this recipe is also a little different than the usual type as I couldn’t get hold on to the thin one (my local small Asian shop doesn’t have the Chinese rice noodle, I can only find the Thai ones which is slightly thicker). And instead of barbecue pork, I make barbecue oyster mushroom! But you can of course stick with the traditional ingredients with pork and prawns, as I always say, take the inspiration and make a recipe that is your own! You will love the flavour anyway no matter what ingredients you use.

Notes:

Since I only have a electric stove and a small wok, I have to cook this noodle dish with my large cast iron casserole which won’t have the same effect as cooking with a metal wok on gas (fire) stove like the traditional way. Therefore, I season the ingredients separately during the course of cooking in order to ensure every ingredient is well seasoned and when everything comes together, it will taste as a delicious whole. And trust me, it is a good trick to learn when you have not got the appropriate equipment.

Ingredients:

Serves 4

• 200g thin rice noodle
• 4 Pak Choi (or other green), sliced
• 1 small or 1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 stalk spring onion, finely sliced (for garnish)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• salt and pepper
• 1 jalapeño (or other chili) sliced (garnish, optional)

For the BBQ mushroom:

• 250g oyster mushroom, hand-pulled into shreds
• freshly ground pepper
• vegetable oil for frying
• 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce
• a pinch of coconut sugar

For the noodle seasoning:

• 3 tsp. curry powder (separated)
• 1 tsp. Turmeric
• 2 tsp. fine grain sea salt
• Vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. +1 tsp. tamari (or soy sauce)
• 1 tbsp. +1 tsp. mushroom stir-fry sauce (or oyster sauce)

Rehydrate rice noodles according to package instructions. Rinse and drain in colander. Transfer drained noodles on a large baking tray lined with baking parchment. spread in an even layer, let the noodles dry out a bit before season it with 2 tsp. of fine grain sea salt, 2 tsp. of curry powder, 1 tsp. of turmeric and 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. While the noodle is soaking, sauté mushroom in a heated pan with 2 tbsp. vegetable oil. Fry until mushroom is slightly brown and moisture has evaporated. Transfer the mushroom to a baking dish, add the BBQ sauce, mix well and spread them out in one layer. Sprinkle with coconut sugar to get even more caramelisation. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until mushroom is slightly charred. Removed from oven and set aside.

To make the egg omelette: Pour beaten egg into a hot pan and tilt the pan until egg evenly coats the bottom of the pan. Let it cook and set into an omelette and transfer it to a chopping board. Chop the omelette into bite size pieces. Set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan until really hot. Add onion, then Pak Choi and bell pepper, sauté for a minute. Add 1 tsp. of curry powder, 1 tsp. of tamari and 1 tsp. mushroom stir-fry sauce. Sauté for another minute. Add noodles, mushroom, egg, tbsp. of tamari and 1 tbsp. mushroom sauce. Fry and mix until everything is well combined. Have a taste, add more seasoning if needed.

Divide noodles into warm bowl and scatter chopped spring onions and jalapaño if used. Serve immediately!