Better Than The Buffet Singapore Noodles

Better Than The Buffet Singapore Noodles is a delicious vermicelli noodle recipe that is stir-fried with cabbage, celery and scrambled eggs. Curry powder lends a powerful and unique flavor to this popular side dish. Thinly sliced pork adds the perfect finishing touch.

If you are in the market for an especially delicious Chinese side dish or main course, then this is the recipe for you. Chinese buffets always have the best selections of noodle dishes. Chicken Lo Mein is definitely a family favorite.

I actually didn’t experience the awesomeness that is Singapore Noodles until about 8 years ago. We love going out as a family to our favorite little Chinese restaurant in town. They have delicious food that comes to the table hot and with a mini Sterno fire in the middle of their Pu Pu Platter. We love eating great food and indulging in some light Keno and scratch ticketing.

We typically would order the Pu Pu Platter and a large side of the house fried rice. Young Aidan asked if we could try a menu item called Singapore Noodles. From then on, we were hooked. I would say this is probably Aidan’s favorite thing that one could order at a Chinese restaurant.

Immediately, I knew that I wanted to take a stab at making this one at home. The strong curry powder flavor is hypnotizing. I love the way they turned out. We’ve served it both as a stand-alone main course and as a side dish. Singapore Noodles pair perfectly alongside Better Than The Buffet Battered Fried Shrimp and Homemade Crab Rangoon.

My family and I have started a tradition on New Year’s Eve and it’s probably one of my favorite traditions period. Every year, we make our own homemade Chinese food together. We watch our favorite New Year’s Eve show, courtesy of Mr. Ryan Seacrest. And we toast with sparkling cider as we countdown to midnight and watch the ball drop.

For me, what sets this recipe apart from other noodles dishes is that it’s on the drier side. It doesn’t have a thick coating of sauce. Vermicelli noodles paired with the powerful flavoring from the curry powder lend this dish it’s great taste. The celery, cabbage and garlic are a great compliment and the texture and taste of the scrambled egg just puts this recipe over the top.

This recipe is definitely very easy on the old wallet. Stir-fried dishes are the best way to use up any leftover veggies or meats that you have in the refrigerator. Whatever you toss in to stir-fry with your noodles will absorb the excellent flavor in the curry powder. And most of this recipe contains ingredients that you probably have on hand already.

Also, all of the ingredients in this recipe should be easily accessible at your local grocery store. You shouldn’t have to go out of your way for any of these ingredients. Best of all, you can clear out things in your fridge that need to get put to use.

What are Singapore Noodles?

Singapore Noodles are a stir-fried dish made with rice vermicelli, scrambled eggs, veggies and meat. They are Singapore-style. It’s a drier textured noodle dish and isn’t covered in sauce. The main seasoning that you taste in the noodles is curry powder. Curry powder has a very unique flavor and that’s what makes this recipe so special.

Substitutions and Add-Ins

• Pork: This recipe is commonly made with chicken, beef or pork. Turkey breast or ground turkey would also be delicious. It just comes down to preference or what you have conveniently on hand.
• Rice vermicelli: Instead of rice vermicelli, you could use rice noodles. I have also made this recipe plenty of times using angel hair pasta. This option is readily available in most grocery stores. It’s easy to find and cheap.
• Cabbage and/or celery: You can get very creative here with the vegetables. This is a great way to use up leftover veggies or ones that you want to use up before they go bad. Try:
  • Carrots
  • Mushrooms
  • Pea pods
  • Broccoli
  • Green beans
  • Zucchini
  • Summer squash
  • Bok choy
  • Tomato
  • Asparagus
  • Baby corn
  • Watercress
  • Frozen mixed vegetables
• Green onion: This makes an excellent and simple garnish over your noodles when serving. This is optional. Fresh cilantro or parsley would also add some freshness and brightness.

What kind of pork chops should I use?

It’s totally your preference. I love pork chops on the bone because they’re juicier and a little more flavorful. If using a bone-in pork chop, just slice the pork off of the bone when cutting. Boneless pork chops will also turn out just fine. Keep an eye on your pork chops while cooking if you use thin cut pork. They will cook a lot faster. If you’re using a thicker cut of pork, you can cover with a cooking lid while frying to cut down the cook time a little.

Why do you cook the vegetable oil with the celery before adding in the other vegetables?

This is an excellent question. The answer is simple: celery helps to deglaze your pan. Celery is packed with moisture and when it fries in the vegetable oil, all of the delicious bits of flavor from the cooked pork chops will lift off of the pan. It’s added flavor for your recipe and as a bonus, it makes cleaning your frying pan afterwards much easier.

Can I make Better Than The Buffet Singapore Noodles ahead of time?

These noodles are pan-fried. The vegetable oil that they are fried in allows them to reheat nicely. To reheat before serving, cover with aluminum foil and put in the oven on 350ºF for about 10-15 minutes until heated through.

We have these leftover all of the time. You could also just pop a portion in the microwave and they’ll be as delicious as when you served them fresh from the stove. They pack perfectly for a work lunch.

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large pan sprayed skillet on medium heat. Add pork chops and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Fry for about 6 minutes per side. Flip and cook for an additional 4 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from the heat. Slice the pork chops thinly and set aside.

In the meantime, prepare rice vermicelli according to package instructions. After draining, rinse with cold water to cool off noodles and set aside. While the noodles cook, prep your veggies. Slice celery thinly, chop garlic, grate ginger and thinly slice cabbage.

Pan spray the large skillet used to cook the pork chops. Heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Add celery and cook for 2-3 minutes. Crack eggs and stir to fry for 1 minute. Then, add garlic, ginger and cabbage to the skillet and cook for an additional minute.

To the skillet, add in the cooked pork chops, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, rice vermicelli, soy sauce, curry powder and turmeric. Mix everything together well and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Hungry for more Better Than The Buffet recipes?

• Better Than The Buffet Beef and Broccoli is the perfect combination of flavors. The rich flavor in the beef and sauce is complimented perfectly with the bright freshness of the broccoli. This is a recipe with such complex taste that you will not believe it comes together in under 30 minutes!
• Better Than The Buffet Orange Chicken With Broccoli is a restaurant quality dinner that you can make right at home. The fried chicken paired with the broccoli, garlic, ginger and Orange Sauce make this an easy meal that you will want to add to your dinner rotation.
• Better Than The Buffet Chinese Pepper Chicken is a buffet staple. So simple yet so complex, this is an easy recipe that has so much depth of flavor. The pepper sauce is so rich and tasty that you won’t believe it comes together with only five ingredients.
• Better Than The Buffet Cashew Chicken is a recipe that is so simple, easy and quick. This dinner is garlicky, gingery and has a delicious depth of flavor. The sweet and salty sauce and toasted nuttiness of the cashews will make this meal a family favorite.

How did your Better Than The Buffet Singapore Noodles come out? Did you add-in any vegetables? Did you use pork or another meat? Let me know in the comments below. As always, I thank you very much for supporting the Spice and Sugar Mama food blog!