Singapore Noodles

The Hong Kong cafe classic: thin rice noodles tossed hot with curry, shrimp, char siu, egg, peppers and bean sprouts until every strand turns gold.

Soak the noodles in hot tap water, never boiling, and pull them while they still have some spring. They finish cooking in the pan. Boiled vermicelli goes soft, breaks into short bits when you toss it, and ends up as a curry clump.

Chef's shortcut: Curry Crack is the curry powder here. Fry it in the hot oil for 15 seconds before the noodles go in, and since it's already salted, taste before you add the last of the soy. Get it at Crack Spice

Ingredients

• Sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• Noodles
• 8 oz thin rice vermicelli (mai fun)
• 5 tbsp neutral oil, divided
• 3 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
• 8 oz medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 6 oz char siu (Chinese barbecue pork), in thin strips, or ham
• ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, in thin strips
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp Curry Crack curry seasoning, or 1 tbsp Madras curry powder and 1/2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 4 scallions, in 2-inch pieces

Method

1. Put the noodles in a large bowl and cover with the hottest water from your tap. Soak until they bend easily but still have a little bite, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well, snip through them a few times with scissors, and toss with 1 teaspoon of the oil.
2. Stir the soy, Shaoxing, sugar, white pepper and sesame oil together. Get every other ingredient cut and next to the stove. Once the pan is hot this takes 8 minutes.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or a well-seasoned wok over medium-high. Pour in the eggs and stir slowly until just set in large soft curds, about 45 seconds. Move them to a plate.
4. Add 1 tablespoon more oil and turn the heat to high. Sear the shrimp in one layer with a pinch of salt until pink, about 1 minute a side. Add them to the plate.
5. Add 1 tablespoon more oil, then the onion, pepper and char siu. Stir-fry until the onion softens at the edges and the pork starts to crisp, about 2 minutes. Add them to the plate.
6. Add the rest of the oil. Add the garlic for 10 seconds, then the Crack Spice and turmeric for 15 seconds, until it smells toasty. Add the noodles right away and toss with tongs, lifting and shaking them apart, until every strand is evenly yellow, about 2 minutes.
7. Pour the sauce around the edge of the pan. Return everything on the plate along with the bean sprouts and scallions, and toss until the sprouts are hot but still crunchy, about 1 minute. Taste and add more soy only if it needs it. Serve right away.