Singapore Fried Vermicelli Noodles - Cha Bee Hoon

Fried vermicelli noodles (cha bee hoon) is a classic Singapore home-style dish that is versatile and has many variations. This recipe replicates the economical style of cha bee hoon that calls for accompaniments such as fried chicken, egg, and/or luncheon meat.

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp oil (I use rice bran oil but any neutral tasting vegetable oil is fine)
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 stalk of spring onion, white and green part separated and chopped (white for first stage of frying, green part for finishing touch)
- 3 dried mushroom, soaked, and cut into small pieces

- 1 cup chopped cabbage
- 1 carrot, cut into small matchsticks
- 2 eggs, beaten and seasoned with a tiny splash of soy sauce and pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp shoaxing wine
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Dark soy sauce for colour (omit if you want white beehoon)
- 400g thin vermicelli noodles (beehoon), soaked for 2-3 minutes in room temperature water and drained before cooking

Method:

1) Stir-fry the aromatics (garlic, onion, white part of spring onion) over medium heat till fragrant. Be careful not to burn them!
2) Add mushroom and continue stir frying.
3) Add carrot, cabbage and continue stir-frying to infuse them with the aromatics.
4) Push the ingredients in the wok aside with your cooking spatula to leave space for beaten eggs.
5) Add beaten eggs at the now empty part of the wok.
6) Toss all ingredients together and stir-fry for a bit before adding shoaxing wine followed by chicken stock and seasoning.
7) Cover and let the cabbage and carrot cook till their of desirable softness.
8) After about 5 minutes or so, open the lid and add the pre-soaked and drained beehoon.
9) Toss to ensure that ingredients are well mixed and let the beehoon absorb the remaining stock. Do not over do this as the beehoon may break into smaller pieces.
10) Cover, turn off the heat, and let it steam for a few minutes before serving.

I will be sharing the recipe of the accompanying fried chicken in another post. Enjoy cooking!