Singapore noodles, a curried thin noodle dish. TNS

In Singapore noodles are a diner’s delight: lightly curried, thin, dry noodles tossed with a selection of Asian-appropriate vegetables and a meat, such as chicken or shrimp, or a vegetarian protein such as tofu, often found on the menus of Chinese restaurants also.

Singapore noodles is a popular dish in Cantonese carry-out restaurants in China — and especially in Hong Kong, where many proud residents claim it was invented. That assertion makes sense, because the dish relies on curry powder, and curry powder is a British invention.

This version of Singapore noodles requires stir-frying many of the ingredients individually. The idea is to let the ingredients release their moisture, which will keep the delicate noodles from becoming mushy.

The result is perfect Singapore noodles. They may not recognize it in Singapore, but the rest of the world will love it.

SINGAPORE NOODLES

Yield: 4 servings

6 ounces dried vermicelli rice noodles

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons peanut oil, or corn, safflower, grapeseed, sunflower or vegetable oil, divided

2 large eggs, beaten well

1/2 pound ground chicken or thinly sliced Chinese barbecue (char siu)

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large carrot, thinly julienned

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced, see note

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced, see note

3 ounces beansprouts

3 Chinese chives or scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. Cook vermicelli noodles in boiling water for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain without rinsing, place still hot in a large bowl and cover with a towel. Let stand 10 minutes. Pull on the noodles with tongs, chopsticks or your impeccably clean hands to separate them.

2. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, curry powder, salt, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and turmeric. Stir to mix well, and set aside.

3. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and scramble until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

4. Clean wok or skillet if necessary. Add 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut oil over medium heat. When hot, add ground chicken or sliced char siu and cook, breaking up the ground chicken, until cooked through. Transfer to the plate with the eggs.

5. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil. When hot, stir in onion, garlic, carrots, ginger and green and red peppers. Stir fry until the vegetables have just softened, about 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in the beansprouts and Chinese chives or scallions and cook until they are heated through and beginning to take on some color, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.

6. Add shrimp and stir fry until firm and thoroughly cooked (the time will depend on the size of the shrimp). Remove to a plate.

7. In quick succession, add the reserved sauce, 1/3 cup water and the noodles. Cook, stirring, until the noodles have absorbed all of the sauce and are uniform in color. If some of the sauce sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a little more water. Add the eggs, chicken, vegetables and shrimp all back to the pan and mix everything together with chopsticks or tongs. Serve immediately.

Tribune News Service