This Singapore vegetable chow mei fun features bouncy noodles and crunchy veggies cooked in a rich savory sauce! A hearty, filling and flavorsome meal that your whole family will love. Ready in 20 minutes and only calls for simple everyday ingredients.
Here is another one of my childhood favorite dish! This Singapore chow mei fun is a really popular breakfast dish here in Malaysia, and you can find it anywhere, from hawkers selling them on the streets, to buffet in five star hotels.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- A quick 20 minutes one pan meal - Making this Singapore chow mei fun especially great for busy weeknights! Super easy to throw together, ready in no time yet is incredibly delicious and filling at the same time.
- Healthy and packed with veggies - This dish is only made with wholesome plant ingredients, and is packed with nutrient and fiber-rich vegetables.
- Customizable and versatile - You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, as a main or side dish. Plus, this dish is easily customizable too, and you can swap noodles and vegetables used with whatever you have on hand.
- Packs and transports well - This vegetables chow mei fun can be eaten hot or at room temperature, and can be taken on-the-go with you to school or work.
🤔What is chow mei fun
Chow mei fun, also sometimes known as Singapore noodles, usually consist of super thin rice vermicelli, vegetables and protein of some sort (shrimp, chicken, pork etc.) stir fried in a rich and flavorful sauce. Eggs might also be added into the dish itself, or as a topping.
As mentioned above, this noodle dish is a really popular street food in Malaysia and Singapore, and is usually eaten for breakfast. However, you can also find it in the menus of high-end restaurants and fancy hotels.
To make this vegan, animal protein and eggs are omitted. We will be also using vegan oyster sauce instead of the regular ones.
🍜How to cook rice vermicelli
There are 3 main methods you can prepare rice vermicelli, which is by boiling it in hot water, and soaking it in either warm or hot water. Keep in mind that cooking or soaking time might vary from brand to brand, so it is best to cook according to the instructions on the package.
- Boiling - Bring a pot of water to boil, then place in rice vermicelli. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Soaking in hot water - My preferred way to prepare it. Pour over sufficient amount of hot water over noodles. Noodles should be fully submerge in water. Soak for 2-5 minutes, or until al dente.
- Soaking in warm water - Soak noodles in warm water for 20-30 minutes, until noodles have softened.
As we will be adding noodles back to the pan, it is recommended to slightly undercook noodles to avoid them from sticking together or turning into mush. They should be chewy and springy, but not fully cooked!
🧅What you will need
For stir-fry sauce
📃Notes/substitutions
- Curry powder - I recommend going for yellow curry powder or Indian curry powder to give Singapore chow mei fun its distinctive yellow hue.
- Oyster sauce - Use vegetarians ones to keep this dish vegan. If you do not have it on hand, feel free to use more soy sauce in place.
- I am using Lee Kum Kee ones. Although it is labelled as '' stir-fry sauce'', it is essentially vegetarian oyster sauce, and contains mushroom extracts.
- Feel free to substitute it with more soy sauce, but you might need less of it.
- Gluten-free - Make sure to use gluten-free soy sauce and oyster sauce.
- Oil-free - Use ¼ cup of water or broth to saute instead of oil, and omit sesame oil in sauce.
🔪How to make
Start by preparing your rice noodles according to package instructions. I usually soak mine in hot water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water, then set aside for later use.
While noodles are cooking, make stir-fry sauce by combining everything needed.
Heat up a tablespoon or so of neutral oil in a cast iron skillet or non-stick wok. Once pan is heated, add in onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Next, add in garlic and saute for another minute.
Add in red pepper and cabbage into the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies have softened slightly.
Add in bean sprout, cooked rice noodles, curry powder and stir-fry sauce next and toss to combine. You might have to add in a few tablespoons of broth if noodles is too dry for your liking.
Once everything is well incorporated, remove pan from heat. It is ready to be served!
✔Helpful tips
- Remember to slightly undercook rice vermicelli. This help prevents it from clumping together during stir-frying.
- Rinse noodles under cold water immediately after it is done cooking/soaking. Doing this halts noodles from further cooking.
- Use a large enough pan or wok to ensure that ingredients are evenly cooked, and to also prevent them from leaping out and causing a mess.
- Prep ingredients ahead and keep them near you during cooking. Stir-frying is a fairly quick process, and requires constant stirring.
- If your curry powder is dark brown or brown in color, you can add in a pinch of turmeric to intensify the yellow color of noodles.
✨Variations/add-ins
This vegetable chow mei fun is an incredibly versatile recipe, so feel free to customize it to your own liking! Below are some ideas if you are looking to switch things up:
Noodles - Although traditional ones uses thin sticks of rice vermicelli, you can use other sizes of rice noodles too! You could also use brown rice vermicelli to bump up the fiber content.
Veggies - Feel free to swap out the veggies called for in this recipe for whatever you have on hand. Carrots, bell peppers of any sorts, broccoli or Chinese vegetables like bok choy and choy sum are some vegetables that works well in this dish.
Protein - To make this recipe more filling and hearty, add in a source of plant protein like smoked tofu, five spiced tofu, baked tempeh, or slices of seitan chicken. If you are not vegan, simply add-in whatever animal protein you fancy!
Toppings - For extra texture and flavor, top your vegan Singapore noodles with some chopped green onion, chopped peanuts, or some tofu scramble.
❔Commonly asked questions
Traditional Singapore noodles are not vegan as animal proteins like eggs, shrimp and chicken slices are added. Oyster sauce, which contains oyster extracts, is also used to make the stir-fry sauce.
However, this version of Singapore noodles is vegan, as no animal products are added, and vegetarian oyster sauce is used in place of regular ones.
Yellow curry powder or Indian curry powder are what gives Singapore noodles its yellowish color. If using brown-looking curry powder, you can add in a pinch of turmeric powder for color.
As the name suggested, rice vermicelli is usually made from only rice flour and water, hence making it naturally free from gluten.
Vegetable chow mei fun can be refrigerated in a sealed container for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing it as rice vermicelli is versatile and will disintegrate upon freezing and thawing.
You can either reheat noodles on stove for a couple of minutes, or in the microwave for 30-60 seconds. You might have to add in a splash of water or broth if mixture appears to be dry.
🍽More vegan noodle dishes
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📖 Recipe
Singapore Vegetable Chow Mei Fun
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 3 oz rice vermicelli
- ½ medium yellow onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 medium red bell pepper julienned
- 1 cup bean sprout
- 2 teaspoons Indian curry powder
For stir-fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari (use gluten-free if needed)
- ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
- ½ tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce * (use gluten-free if needed)
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Start by preparing your rice noodles according to package instructions. I usually soak mine in hot water for 2-3 minutes.3 oz rice vermicelli
- Drain and rinse noodles with cold water, then set aside for later use.
- While noodles are cooking, make stir-fry sauce by combining everything needed.1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon shaoxing wine, ½ tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce *, ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Heat up a tablespoon or so of neutral oil in a cast iron skillet or non-stick wok. Once pan is heated, add in onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Next, add in garlic and saute for another minute.½ medium yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add in red pepper and cabbage into the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until veggies have softened slightly.1 medium red bell pepper, 2 cup shredded cabbage
- Add in bean sprout, cooked rice noodles, curry powder and stir-fry sauce next and toss to combine. You might have to add in a few tablespoons of broth if noodles is too dry for your liking.1 cup bean sprout, 2 teaspoons Indian curry powder
- Once everything is well incorporated, remove pan from heat. Give it a taste and add more soy sauce, if needed.
Notes
-
- I am using Lee Kum Kee ones. Although it is labelled as '' stir-fry sauce'', it is essentially vegetarian oyster sauce, and contains mushroom extracts.
- Feel free to substitute it with more soy sauce, but you might need less of it.
- Remember to slightly undercook rice vermicelli. This help prevents it from clumping together during stir-frying.
- Use a large enough pan or wok to ensure that ingredients are evenly cooked, and to also prevent them from leaping out and causing a mess.
- Prep ingredients ahead and keep them near you during cooking. Stir-frying is a fairly quick process, and requires constant stirring.
- If your curry powder is dark brown or brown in color, you can add in a pinch of turmeric to intensify the yellow color of your chow mei fun.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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