Photos by Emily Caruso
I don't cook with curry powder nearly enough, and I'm reminded of that fact every time I do use it. Because you've got so many spices mingling in one blend, it doesn't take much else to make a dish delicious. That's why I love Singapore noodles. Clarification: that's why I love to make Singapore noodles. The fact that I love to eat Singapore noodles should require no explanation. I've ordered the dish dozens of times in restaurants, always thinking it had to be really complex, because it's such an amazing array of flavors and textures. All that complexity is actually in the curry powder. One spice, which is actually a blend of a bunch of spices, all powdered up and ready to sprinkle on your food and transform it into something delicious. That's what curry powder is, and that's exactly what it does to these Singapore noodles.
Madras curry powder is the variety I opted to use in this dish. It's a particularly spicy blend, resulting from the copious amounts of chili powder contained therein. I happen to like spicy, but if you don't, I'm sure any basic curry powder would be equally delicious.
So, just how simple is this dish? It's about as basic as a simple veggie stir fry. In fact, it is a simple veggie stir fry, just with noodles and curry powder. The noodles require just a short soaking time, so it doesn't take as long as many other pasta dishes do. After soaking, they're stir fried with the veggies and curry powder, along with a little garlic, ginger and soy sauce. I added a little turmeric, which, I'll be totally honest and say was for the heightened yellow color it adds (because that's the Singapore noodles trademark, right?). For the veggies I decided to go with napa cabbage for crunch, and red bell peppers for just a touch of sweetness, and for heft and protein I threw in some pan-fried tofu.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
- 4 green onions
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or other neutral flavored vegetable oil, divided
- 1 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed at least 20 minutes and cut into 1-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 3 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove from heat. Submerge the noodles in the water and soak until al dente, about 3 minutes (but refer to package instructions). Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
- Separate the white and green parts of the green onions. Finely chop the white parts, then cut green parts into 1-inch sections. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice to achieve browning on multiple sides. Transfer the tofu cubes to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil to the skillet. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the white parts of the green onions, garlic, ginger and bell pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the napa cabbage and continue to stir-fry until wilted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with curry powder and turmeric. Stir fry another 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the noodles and soy sauce. Stir fry 1 minute more, using a fork to separate noodles. Add the cilantro, remaining green onions and tofu cubes. Use a fork to distribute ingredients evenly and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Remove from heat. Divide the noodles onto plates and serve.
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
I agree, I always kind of forget about curry powder, but when I use it I love it! The pan fried tofu in this is calling to me! : )
Because Yum says
My 14-year-old daughter has decided that fried tofu is her favorite food and I've got some extra firm in the fridge just waiting for a good recipe. This is truly serendipity!
Alissa says
Nice! I hope you get to try this dish out with your tofu, and I hope you and your daughter enjoy it. 🙂
Alissa says
I'm glad this recipe reminded me of how good curry powder is! 🙂 I might be putting it in everything for a while...
chrysta @ noshed says
Ive been on a curry kick lately. It is so good. I sometimes get lazy and just sprinkle it on my veggies and rock it out that. This dish is so up my alley!. Looks delish!
Alissa says
Thanks Chrysta! This dish definitely set me off on a curry kick of my own!
Cathy says
This looks AMAZING! I am going to attempt to make this tonight!
Alissa says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Savita @ ChefDeHome says
I'm all for cooking with tofu and this plate of noodles with fried tofu looks so tempting! love that you used Madras curry powder! tempting! would love to try! pinned!
Alissa says
I'm all about spicy food, so I love the kick it gets from Madras curry powder. I hope you get a chance to try it!
Sylwia says
I have a thing for Asian cuisine, specially for all sorts of stir fries recently. I really liked the recipe above. Quick, easy, and yet full of flavours. There are some small changes I made. I added some steamed green beans and I used marinated tofu strips, as that's what I had at hand. I will definitely make it again. 🙂
OMV is one of my favourite websites when I look for inspiration and interesting, flavoursome recipes. I look forward to exploring and trying the new recipes. 🙂
Alissa says
This recipe is definitely customizable - green beans and marinated tofu both sound like great additions. I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Joanne Bruno says
Pretty sure I could eat curry powder every DAY and never get bored. I actually don't think I've ever had Singapore noodles though, which is a shame! Must try!
Alissa says
Definitely a must try - especially if you're a big fan of curry powder! I hope you give it a shot - and enjoy. 🙂
Rachel @ The Conscious Dietitian says
yummmmmmm Singapore noodles is an old childhood favourite! Definitely like the looks of it with tofu!
Alissa says
Thanks Rachel! The tofu really does pair nicely with the curried noodles. 🙂
HY says
Although I am from Singapore and this is just totally baffling because there's just no noodle dish called Singapore noodles here. But this is an amazing dish to whip up here on our sunny island! A mixture of multi-racial spices indeed! 😀
P.S. Alissa, if you had not step foot into our tiny island, you would always be welcome to try our diverse range of food! 😉
Alissa says
I've heard that this dish didn't come from Singapore. I agree that it's pretty amazing though, so I'm glad it did come to be, whatever the origin. 🙂
I'm sure you've got some amazing cuisine in Singapore, and I really hope to get there some day and give it a try!
naomi says
same here. I'm Singaporean and I've absolutely no idea what Singapore Noodles is. I had to Google it up ><
Sriya says
Did any of you actually try this mess? The portions are waaay off. 2tblsp of curry powder and of soy sauce is waaaay too much and the end result was ridiculous. *sigh*
Emm says
I'm glad that I read this message before I made the recipe.
Kelly says
Is it possible to get the nutrition information for the recipes?
Alissa says
Hi Kelly! We don't have the nutrition info on hand, but this is a great tool if you'd like to take a crack at it yourself.
Hema says
Hi
I have been using this recipe for a few years now, I change the tofu to paneer and mix up the veg. Very tasty each time 😃😋