Homemade stir fried noodles to the rescue! This Singapore chow mei fun recipe is quick, easy and so tasty your whole family will ask for seconds! 20 minutes is all it takes to cook this delicious Singaporean dish.
Singapore Chow Mei Fun
Chow mei fun is my husband’s favorite dish whenever we order Chinese food. If Ben could have it every day, he would.
Apparently he ordered it for the first time from a Chinese takeaway spot in London, not really knowing what it was. He said, “It was cheap, and they said it was spicy. So I gave it a go.”
Singapore chow mei fun (or mai fun) – with its curried, smokey and savory flavors… won Ben’s heart that day.
But because Chinese food in New York can get a bit pricey for what you actually get in return, we don’t order delivery all that often. Instead, I’ve gotten into the habit of making my own at home.
And, I must say, I’ve gotten pretty good at it 🙂
So good, in fact, that ordering Chinese food is no longer quite as appealing as it used to be. While many restaurant versions are okay, they don’t usually compare to freshly made mei fun noodles.
Let’s face it; stir fried noodles are always better fresh out of the wok!
What is Mei Fun?
Singapore chow mei fun, at its most basic, is a stir fried noodle dish that gets the lion’s share of flavor from curry powder.
And while there are a ton of slight variations, most Singapore noodle recipes will call for shrimp, pork and veggies – and sometimes a scrambled egg for good measure.
Mei fun – (米粉 or mai fun) – sometimes also referred to as rice stick noodles, are thin rice vermicelli noodles.
Mei fun noodles are commonly used in Asian cuisine – from Mainland China and Hong Kong – to Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore – and most parts in between.
The traditional way to produce mei fun noodles is simply with rice and water. However, sometimes smaller amounts of ingredients like egg, wheat, and other starches are added to augment the texture of certain brand noodles.
Rice vermicelli that hasn’t been augmented in the manufacturing process is a gluten free food. But it’s important to note that many of the sauces used when preparing Asian noodle dishes contain wheat.
Cool fact: rice noodles are usually prepared by soaking in hot water rather than actively boiling them.
When preparing mei fun for a stir fry dish, it’s best to slightly undercook the noodles at the soaking stage as they will continue to cook when you introduce them to the wok.
However, when making a soup with mei fun, you can add your noodles at the very last step. Once they’re cooked through, you’re ready to put the soup on the table!
Are Mei Fun Noodles from Singapore?
While the name would have you believe otherwise, Singapore noodles probably didn’t originate in Singapore.
They’re likely Cantonese in origin. So, contrary to its moniker, you’re way more likely to find these Chinese noodles in a restaurant in Kowloon, Hong Kong than in the Chomp Chomp Food Centre on Kensington Park Road in Singapore.
Singapore chow mei fun is actually quite similar to a Filipino bihon pancit from an ingredients standpoint – as it’s a simple noodle stir fry with veggies and meats. What makes this Singapore “pancit” different is the use of curry powder.
How to cook mei fun noodles
This is a super easy recipe, perfect for days when cooking feels like a chore.
While directions will vary from brand to brand, the long mei fun noodles usually require no actual boiling. Just a soak in water. That’s it!
As mei fun noodles tend to be quite long – after soaking, I typically cut them down to a more manageable length with a pair of scissors.
All that’s left is to add your ingredients to the pan, stir fry for a few minutes and enjoy!
How To Make This Singapore Mei Fun Recipe
For this easy Singapore mei fun recipe, I’ve swapped pork for turkey bacon as a healthier alternative.
I find that Chinese food can sometimes be very oily, which can ruin the dish for me. The same goes for lower quality meats that are 80% fat and 20% meat. I would rather omit this ingredient entirely and replace it with something like low fat turkey bacon, tofu or simply add more vegetables.
The first step I take when making these Singapore noodles at home is to soak the noodles.
Make sure that the rice noodles don’t sit in the water for too long. You want them to be al dente since you will be stir frying them in the pan with the other ingredients just before serving. Drain them well and set aside.
Add the shrimp and turkey bacon in a hot pan coated with a bit of oil. After 30 seconds or so, add the cabbage, carrot, red onion, dried red chili peppers and half of the scallions. Stir fry the mixture for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the curry powder and stir well.
Add the rice noodles, salt, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Toss everything gently to prevent the noodles from breaking and turn the heat off.
Season with some ground white pepper and top with the remaining scallions. Enjoy!
You see, the sloped sides are great for conducting heat from a gas range up the side of the pan. So even while you’re tossing the noodles, they’re receiving heat.
Variations of This Dish
It’s pretty common to see quite a few ingredients in a curry laden order of Singapore noodles.
And, while pork and shrimp mei fun seems to be the industry standard, you wouldn’t be hard pressed to find chicken mei fun or beef mei fun on a menu at some Chinese restaurants in the US.
Also, making Singapore chow mei fun at home can present a great opportunity to clear out some of your leftovers from the fridge. You see, as long as you nail the flavor the noodles tend to taste great with just about anything you decide to toss in.
It’s not uncommon for me to use this recipe as a clearing house for a ton of veggies before they expire. Just empty the crisper and you’re good to go. A simple vegetable mei fun is super delicious!
You can make this chow mei fun recipe ahead of time and give it a quick zap in the microwave before serving. It has plenty of flavor on its own but also makes a great companion to other Chinese based dishes such as:
So fire up the wok and, instead of delivery, make an eat-in feast of all your Chinese takeout favorites at home!
Whether you make it with chicken, shrimp, pork, tofu (or all of the above), the smoky and savory heat of this Singapore chow mei fun recipe is always a hit.
3 strips turkey bacon (sliced into bite size strips)
2cups cabbage (shredded)
1 carrot (sliced into thin strips)
1 small red onion (thinly sliced into half moons)
2 dried red chili peppers (roughly chopped)
3 stalks scallions (roughly chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
130grams dried rice noodles
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
ground white pepper
Instructions
Soak rice noodles in hot water for 7-8 minutes, until they are al dente – you don’t want them cooked all the way through since you will finish them in the wok (or pan).
Drain noodles and use scissors to cut them into lengths that are easy to eat. Set aside.
In a wok or large pan over high heat, add oil. When the oil is hot, add shrimp and turkey bacon and cook for 30 seconds.
Add cabbage, carrot, red onion, dried red chili peppers and half of the scallions, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often.
Add curry powder and stir.
Add rice noodles, salt, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce, and gently mix.
Turn the heat off and transfer chow mei fun to a plate or bowl.
Season with ground white pepper, top with remaining scallions and serve.
Notes
This Singapore Chow Mei Fun Recipe Is: Very high in vitamin A High in vitamin C
My coworker often brings in pancit with chicken to office parties, but I find it a little bland.I always add chili flakes to gice it some zip. When you mentioned this recipe is like pancit, but spicy with curry powder, my eyes lit up! I have all the ingredients except the cabbage- will try ASAP! Thanks!
I grew up in San Francisco, & discovered this dish on the menu at a restaurant that I used to frequent. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it should be pointed out that in the traditional version of this dish, Char siu pork is used instead of bacon. Char siu has it’s own unique blend of spices in it (Chinese five spice, etc.) that help develop the complexity of the flavors. It’s fine to offer healthier alternatives, but for those more interested in the real deal, try chunks of Char siu!
This recipe is a favorite including with our 3 year old and a great way to use up pretty much any vegetable! I highly recommend using actual bacon instead of turkey bacon. It makes the ‘sauce’ (in quotes because it’s a very small amount and the dish should be pretty dry) so delicious. I’ve found you can omit the oil and soy sauce at the end if you use double the bacon called for in the recipe. (just the right amount of Americanization for my family;) ) I also always throw in small pieces of chicken with the shrimp and bacon at the beginning, and scramble in a couple eggs before adding the vegetables.
I love Chinese food, usually I order it but now I decided to cook it, delicious and so easy, love the noodles i used vermicelli noodles mande with peas, green mung bean starch and water, love it, see tru beans, like glass, very good recipe love it ,I added green frozen peas for extra color, love it thanks for sharing your recipe, take out versions uses to much oil,like your a lot better, will do it again
My hubby loved this recipe. He even took the rest to work for lunch the next day. This from a man who doesnt eat leftovers!
I only used shrimp csuse I didnt have anything else. Gonna try it again tonite and add turkey bacon.
Thank you. It’s great!
I’d like to see lo mein recipe of you have one. I can’t find a good one anywhere.
Great recipe. It’s rare a home recipe compares to restaurant Singapore Noodles, but this one does. I made mine with country ham pieces and it was fantastic..
Hey Caroline, thank you very much for the recipe. I love this dish and I’ll definitely give it a go. The only thing I would recommend though is the change of the brand of rice noodles. It shouldn’t break up easily like that shown in the pic. Good mai fun or mi fen (mandarin) should retain its long strands, if cooked quickly with sufficient oil and high heat. I usually use 3-4 tbsp of oil and the oil is barely there once I’m done. And for a touch of healthy fats, I use avocado oil which is neutral in flavor and healthier than most vegetable oil. I’ll let you know once I cook this. Thanks again! 🙂
Thanks Jo! The noodles were actually good, it’s the photographer (me) who took too long shooting the images 😉 This unfortunately resulted in broken noodles because they had overcooked.
When I made this it was SO dry and chalky I had to add 1/2 bottle of store bought ginger dressing to make it work. I followed the recipe to a T and it did not taste like a take our version… any insight?
Hi Laura, traditional Singapore chow mei fun is dry, it’s only made using spices and contains no dressing. I’m not sure what version you are used to, could it be an Americanized version? I know the food served in American Chinese restaurants (which I grew up on) is very different from the food made in Asia (where I spend 8 years) or served in Szechuan restaurants in NYC. Most dishes are usually a lot sweeter and oilier in the US.
Hi Preeja, I use Simply Organic curry powder that you can get at your local grocery store. Or you can try making your own, I think it’s fairly easy but I’m too lazy to do it 🙂
Caroline Caron-Phelps is a Japanese/French Canadian recipe creator, food blogger, and photographer. She showcases delicious, authentic Asian recipes, especially Japanese, vegan, and vegetarian, with beautiful photography, easy-to-follow instructions, videos, and practical recipe variations. Caroline has been featured on Bon Appetit, Shape Magazine, Self, Today Show, and more.
My coworker often brings in pancit with chicken to office parties, but I find it a little bland.I always add chili flakes to gice it some zip. When you mentioned this recipe is like pancit, but spicy with curry powder, my eyes lit up! I have all the ingredients except the cabbage- will try ASAP! Thanks!
★★★★★
I grew up in San Francisco, & discovered this dish on the menu at a restaurant that I used to frequent. I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but it should be pointed out that in the traditional version of this dish, Char siu pork is used instead of bacon. Char siu has it’s own unique blend of spices in it (Chinese five spice, etc.) that help develop the complexity of the flavors. It’s fine to offer healthier alternatives, but for those more interested in the real deal, try chunks of Char siu!
★★★
Is there a recipe similar to this that doesn’t have curry in it. I would love something like it.
Hi Christine! You can omit the curry from the recipe, the dish will still be super tasty 🙂
This recipe is a favorite including with our 3 year old and a great way to use up pretty much any vegetable! I highly recommend using actual bacon instead of turkey bacon. It makes the ‘sauce’ (in quotes because it’s a very small amount and the dish should be pretty dry) so delicious. I’ve found you can omit the oil and soy sauce at the end if you use double the bacon called for in the recipe. (just the right amount of Americanization for my family;) ) I also always throw in small pieces of chicken with the shrimp and bacon at the beginning, and scramble in a couple eggs before adding the vegetables.
★★★★★
Wonderful Ellen! Thank you so much for your suggestions and for letting me know that your family enjoys it 🙂
Wow. Super easy to make and substitute the veggies I had on hand. I’m so excited to be able to make this at home! Saving so much $$
★★★★★
I love Chinese food, usually I order it but now I decided to cook it, delicious and so easy, love the noodles i used vermicelli noodles mande with peas, green mung bean starch and water, love it, see tru beans, like glass, very good recipe love it ,I added green frozen peas for extra color, love it thanks for sharing your recipe, take out versions uses to much oil,like your a lot better, will do it again
★★★★★
Thank you so much Marcy! 🙂
My hubby loved this recipe. He even took the rest to work for lunch the next day. This from a man who doesnt eat leftovers!
I only used shrimp csuse I didnt have anything else. Gonna try it again tonite and add turkey bacon.
Thank you. It’s great!
I’d like to see lo mein recipe of you have one. I can’t find a good one anywhere.
★★★★★
That’s wonderful Lori! I have a shrimp lo mein here https://pickledplum.com/shrimp-lo-mein/ I hope you enjoy it too! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for posting this wonderful recipe! I made for my family tonight and it was a big hit.
★★★★★
Thank you Molly 🙂
Great recipe. It’s rare a home recipe compares to restaurant Singapore Noodles, but this one does. I made mine with country ham pieces and it was fantastic..
Thank you Paula! 🙂
Hey Caroline, thank you very much for the recipe. I love this dish and I’ll definitely give it a go. The only thing I would recommend though is the change of the brand of rice noodles. It shouldn’t break up easily like that shown in the pic. Good mai fun or mi fen (mandarin) should retain its long strands, if cooked quickly with sufficient oil and high heat. I usually use 3-4 tbsp of oil and the oil is barely there once I’m done. And for a touch of healthy fats, I use avocado oil which is neutral in flavor and healthier than most vegetable oil. I’ll let you know once I cook this. Thanks again! 🙂
Thanks Jo! The noodles were actually good, it’s the photographer (me) who took too long shooting the images 😉 This unfortunately resulted in broken noodles because they had overcooked.
I recommend adding a 1/3 cup of chicken stock at the end, off heat. This is way too dry as is.
When I made this it was SO dry and chalky I had to add 1/2 bottle of store bought ginger dressing to make it work. I followed the recipe to a T and it did not taste like a take our version… any insight?
Hi Laura, traditional Singapore chow mei fun is dry, it’s only made using spices and contains no dressing. I’m not sure what version you are used to, could it be an Americanized version? I know the food served in American Chinese restaurants (which I grew up on) is very different from the food made in Asia (where I spend 8 years) or served in Szechuan restaurants in NYC. Most dishes are usually a lot sweeter and oilier in the US.
Curry powder as in INDIAN curry powder?
Hi Chris, I use the regular yellow curry powder found in the spice aisle of grocerie stores. Like this one: https://www.simplyorganic.com/simply-organic-curry-powder-3-00-oz
Hi..I have tried different recipes for Singapore noodles and it never comes out right…what kind of curry powder do you use?
Hi Preeja, I use Simply Organic curry powder that you can get at your local grocery store. Or you can try making your own, I think it’s fairly easy but I’m too lazy to do it 🙂
I literally get that from take out at least once a week. I’m obsessed with greasy spicy Singapore noodles.
You and Ben would get really well haha!