Fried Beehoon with Wild Garlic ("Singapore Noodles" the way we really do it at home)

Say "Singapore noodles" to any Singaporean and you're most likely met with a withering smile and an impatient sigh. It's funny how that has become the defining dish of a country who has the most amazing array of fried noodles-- char kway teow (move over pad thai!), fried hokkien mee, mamak-style mee goreng, just to name a few for you to get your research and salivary glands going-- the worst part being, that it doesn't exist in Singapore. We do have a lot of fried beehoon (rice vermicelli) dishes though, and to be honest, it's often a simple last-minute one-pan stirfry done at home by busy mums, so simple and homey that I've never come to appreciate the art of frying beehoon. I used to end up with clumpy beehoon that stuck to the pan until I phoned mum for help. Her method involves soaking the dried rice noodles in cold water for an hour first, till pliable, before frying. I kept virtuously to her teachings until I watched a shortcut used by my favourite chinese chef which yielded the same results.

Basic method sorted, the flavours and ingredients to add are up to you, ranging from beansprouts to leftover stewed pork belly (my mum's secret weapon to her beehoon). I used dried shrimps, shiitake mushrooms, omelette strips, and wild garlic. Wild garlic's kind of like the wild relative of chinese chives. It has lush green leaves which smell of garlic, with a slight hint of onion, but is much more delicate. It's everywhere now that it's spring, and if you're a forager, go grab your free greens while you can. I was just reading about susan's wild garlic adventures, but alas, I'm not a seasoned forager nor have I gotten any tip-offs; mine were from the farmer's market.

FRIED BEEHOON WITH WILD GARLIC

serves 1-2
Ingredients

100g dried beehoon (thin rice vermicelli noodles)

1 free-range egg, beaten

handful of dried shiitake mushrooms

handful of dried shrimps

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bunch of wild garlic

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp natural dark soy sauce (I mix a traditionally fermented shoyu+ 1 tsp blackstrap molasses)

unrefined sea salt, white pepper

1 tsp fried shallot oil (or toasted sesame oil)

2 tbsp lard from a happy pig (or choice of healthy cooking fat)

Method

1. Soak the dried mushrooms and shrimps in the warm water along with the dark soy sauce. As the mushrooms plump up (30 min), they take in the sweet soy sauce juices. At the same time, this mushroom-shrimp-flavoured soaking water will form the cooking broth for your beehoon to cook in later.

2. Prepare rice vermicelli (see above). Lower into boiling water with a drop of oil and a pinch of salt. Parboil for a minute. Drain onto a dish and cover to let steam while you prep and fry your ingredients (about 5 min).

3. Make a thin crepe-like omelette. Beat egg with a pinch of salt and pepper, then pour into a small heated frying pan, let set then flip when golden. Slice into strips. Drain the mushrooms and slice too.

4. Over a medium-hot pan, fry the chopped garlic and shrimps in lard till fragrant, then add the mushrooms, stir-frying for a min or so before adding the soaking liquid, sesame oil, and plenty of white pepper.

5. Bring everything to a bubbling simmer and then add the clump of beehoon (yes it will form one bouncy lump but don't fret), keep shaking and loosening with the chopsticks* all the while as the thirsty noodles soak up all that delicious flavoured broth and finish cooking.

It will happen very quickly, be careful not to overcook or everything will end up clumping again and sticking. Watch video for mental prep.

6. Toss in the wild garlic towards the end to wilt, give a quick final toss with the omelette strips and dish up immediately.

*With careful calculations given to avoiding more washing up, you can essentially use that single pair of chopsticks from start to finish-- beating the eggs, frying the ingredients, tossing the noodles, and finally, eating your meal.

Done right, you will be rewarded with loose（松), flowing strands of rice vermicelli, each noodle plump with more-ish flavours from the broth. The tender leaves of wild garlic impart a mild oniony-garlicky element that goes perfectly with stir-fried noodles; I pronounce it a more-than-worthy local and seasonal substitute for chinese chives. This is more like "Singapore noodles" to me, a nostalgic reminder of after-school lunches, class outings, and family potlucks.