Singapore Noodles are one of our go-to’s when we get a craving for Chinese takeout. With plenty of curry powder and thin rice noodles, it’s a family favorite. In fact, Singapore Noodles is one of the dishes we use to gauge how good a Chinese takeout joint is!
A Vegetarian Version of a Family Favorite
But one of the best things about this vegetarian Singapore noodles recipe is that it can be easily made for your vegetarian and vegan friends and family by omitting the standard trio of Chinese roast pork, shrimp and eggs you’ll find in the classic Singapore Noodles, or Singapore Mei Fun.
And It Happens to be Gluten-Free!
What’s more, for those of you who don’t already know it, mei fun (sometimes spelled mai fun) noodles are a thin rice noodle that can be found totally gluten-free! (Some brands can sometimes contain small amounts of wheat flour and wheat starch, so be sure to check the ingredients list.)
And since this recipe doesn’t call for any soy sauce, the entire recipe can easily be made gluten-free as well. Quite the happy accident, as we know many of our readers have trouble finding gluten-free noodle recipes that don’t rely on soy sauce.
But even if you’re not vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free, these Vegetarian Singapore Noodles are still a great option for light dinners, meatless Mondays, or when you’re looking to eat a bit healthier. You won’t be disappointed!
Vegetarian Singapore Noodles: Recipe Instructions
In a large bowl, soak the mei fun dried rice noodles in 8 cups of hot water for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the rice noodles in a colander and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables and set them aside. The dish comes together quickly, so it helps to put them on plates ready to go by the stove. If using dried mushrooms, soak them for at least 30 minutes in hot water. (For other tips, see our Chinese Dried and Preserved Ingredients page.) When preparing the fresh leeks, they should be julienned first and then washed 2 to 3 times, as they are quite sandy.
Combine 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1½ tablespoons Malaysian curry powder (preferred) or a Madras curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1¼ teaspoons sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper. Set aside.
Heat your wok to medium heat, and add ¼ cup of vegetable oil around the perimeter of the wok.
Stir the garlic into the oil…
And immediately add the Shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and ⅔ of your leeks. Turn the heat up to the highest setting.
Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute, and add the spices you prepared earlier along with 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine.
Next, add the mei fun dried rice noodles and stir fry everything together for another 5-6 minutes until well combined and the rice noodles are warmed through.
Cover the wok for 1 minute if you feel it’s not hot enough or if the noodles are not lightly sizzling. A quiet wok at this point means there’s not enough heat! If your stove heat is not very strong, warming the noodles may take longer, and they may start to dry out. If this happens, add 2 tablespoons of water around the perimeter of the wok.
When steam starts rising from your noodles and they’re nearly done, add the other ⅓ of the leeks to the mixture. Stir fry for another minute, incorporating the leeks. A fresh and slightly more raw onion flavor is what we’re going for!
Transfer to a dish and serve your vegetarian Singapore noodles immediately with homemade hot chili oil or chiu chow chili oil.
Vegetarian Singapore Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mei fun dried rice noodles
- 3 ounces fresh Shiitake mushrooms (or 4 to 5 reconstituted dried shiitake mushrooms, sliced)
- 1 small yellow or red bell pepper (julienned)
- 1 medium carrot (julienned)
- 6 ounces napa cabbage (julienned)
- 3 ounces broccoli florets (cut into small pieces)
- 5 ounces leeks (julienned and thoroughly washed)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1½ tablespoons Malaysian curry powder or Madras curry powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1¼ teaspoons sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2-3 tablespoons hot water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, soak the mei fun dried rice noodles in 8 cups of hot water for 30 to 45 minutes minutes. Drain the rice noodles in a colander and set aside.
- Prepare the vegetables and set them aside. The dish comes together quickly, so it helps to put them on plates ready to go by the stove. If using dried mushrooms, soak them for at least 30 minutes in hot water. (For other tips, see our Chinese Dried and Preserved Ingredients page.) When preparing the fresh leeks, they should be julienned first and then washed 2 to 3 times, as they are quite sandy.
- Combine 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1½ tablespoons Malaysian curry powder (preferred) or a Madras curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, 1¼ teaspoons sugar, and ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper. Set aside.
- Heat your wok to medium heat, and add ¼ cup of vegetable oil around the perimeter of the wok.
- Stir the garlic into the oil, and immediately add the Shiitake mushrooms, bell pepper, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, and ⅔ of your leeks. Turn the heat up to the highest setting.
- Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute, and add the spices you prepared earlier along with 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine.
- Next, add the mei fun dried rice noodles and stir fry everything together for another 5-6 minutes until well combined and the rice noodles are warmed through. Cover the wok for 1 minute if you feel it’s not hot enough or if the noodles are not lightly sizzling. A quiet wok at this point means there’s not enough heat! If your stove heat is not very strong, warming the noodles may take longer, and they may start to dry out. If this happens, add 2 tablespoons of water around the perimeter of the wok.
- When steam starts rising from your noodles and they’re nearly done, add the other ⅓ of the leeks to the mixture. Stir fry for another minute, incorporating the leeks. A fresh and slightly more raw onion flavor is what we’re going for! Transfer to a dish and serve immediately
Nutrition
Jay says
Can I ask why in the original Singapore noodles recipe you use chilli peppers and soy sauce but not in the vegetarian version.
Bill says
Hi Jay, good question! Honestly, I attribute it to our own whims and tastes at the time we wrote the recipe so feel free to add some soy sauce and chili peppers :)
Lorraine says
Thank you for the recipe! I’m looking at this (since I don’t eat meat but my husband and daughter do) and your original recipe for ideas. I’ve been cooking Singapore Rice Noodles at home using whatever I have on hand. I am Cantonese (born and raised in New England, now living in California not near a Chinatown) and have fond memories of eating these after my mother’s occasional trips to Manhattan’s Chinatown during the 70s and early 80s. After a long day, she’d come home with a carload of groceries and dinner. She’d always order from a small restaurant on Mott Street. I always thought of it as a Hong Kong dish and it never occurred to me that someone would actually think it was from Singapore. By the way, do you have a recipe for noodles with three sauces? I’d love a recipe for that dish!
Bill says
Hi Lorraine, thanks for sharing that great story! I have never had noodles with three sauces – will have to look into that.
Sarah says
Heya, I was just enjoying your chocolate cake recipe when I saw the link for this as a recommendation, probably someone else has mentioned this before, but there isn’t actually such a thing as Singapore Noodles. At least as far as it actually being Singaporean, or regional cuisine. It’s…a western chinese food thing. Not just in the US, but some other western countries too, the UK for example.
However, this does look yummy, I’d eat it. If you’re ever curious about what kind of food we have here, just google chicken rice or laksa or chili crab and that’ll send you down the rabbit hole. There’s alot the island has to offer in terms of gastronomy, so it would be nice to be known for dishes that actually came from here.
Love the write up on the recipes, very soothing to read.
Bill says
Hi Sarah, we actually mention the fact that Singapore mei fun is not really a Singaporean dish in our original recipe for Singapore Noodles. And yes, totally agree that Singapore is an awesome place to eat!
Sune says
Amazing recipe!!! It reminded me of the first time I had a good Thai food. We took the time to julienne the veggies and made our own Madras curry spice and it was well worth it. The rice noodles are also a fantastic choice. I added crushed peanuts at the end. Will definitely be adding it to our dinner repertoire.
Bill says
Hi Sune, excellent choices – homemade madras curry powder must be amazing :)
Sebastiano says
You won me over since I first tried your chicken broccoli recipe last October, and I’ve been visiting your website every week since then! My girlfriend went totally crazy for this vegetarian noodles recipe, and she’s been requesting it every now and then. She doesn’t like bell peppers so I replaced those with zucchini and the result was great! The spice mix is dream stuff!
Bill says
Hi Sebastiano, great to hear that both you and your girlfriend enjoyed it – you are both a good match for each other :)