Did you know that Singapore Noodles is not a Singaporean dish, and it’s something you’d unlikely to even find in Singapore?
I had long assumed it was a Singapore dish until my work at Chow Luck Club brought me into close encounter with Singaporeans, including my bosses.
Singapore Noodles is a rice vermicelli dish that is cooked with curry powder, red onions, shrimps, and char siu pork.
So apparently, this is a Cantonese dish that originated in Hong Kong, and not Singapore.
Dating back to Colonial times, British merchants brought spices from Malaya to Hong Kong, where the Cantonese chefs there tried to “create” a Singapore flavour by combining them into a dish.
They wanted to invoke a dish that was reminiscent of Singapore’s Indian-Chinese fusion, and their experiment led to it becoming an exotic creation that is today a permanent fixture of Cantonese cuisine.
The vermicelli, or bee hoon as Singaporeans call them, is stir-fried with just a hint of curry without overwhelming it.
Good ones that I have tried in Auckland include Canton Cafe in Kingsland, BBQ King in the Auckland CBD and Singapore & Malaysia Cuisine in Somerville.
This is a dish that has become a favourite of many and deserves to be celebrated for its innovation and cultural fusion.
It is a true reflection of how a dish can evolve and transcend borders.
Just make sure if you’re having it with a Singaporean friend, don’t say it’s about giving them “a taste of home”.
