Ingredients
100g dried Singapore vermicelli noodles
2 eggs, well beaten
½ onion, finely sliced
½ red pepper, stalk, pith and seeds discarded, flesh finely sliced
6 large raw tiger or king prawns, peeled and deveined
1 handful fresh beansprouts, rinsed and well drained
Vegetable oil
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced, to garnish
For the spice paste
1 bird’s-eye chilli, finely chopped
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp madras curry powder
1–2 pinches chilli powder, to taste
¼ tsp salt
Preparation
Soak the noodles in hot water for three minutes, until they have separated, then drain and leave to dry on a clean tea towel for 10 minutes. Mix all the ingredients for the spice paste in a small bowl or ramekin.
Build a “wok clock” on a large plate or board. Start at 12 o’clock with the beaten egg, followed by the onion and red pepper at three o’clock, the prawns, beansprouts and noodles at six o’clock and finally the spice paste at nine o’clock.
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok on a high heat. When it’s smoking hot, pour in the beaten egg, leave to bubble for a few seconds, then lightly scramble until cooked through.
Push the egg to one side of the wok, to make space for the vegetables and heat again until smoking hot. (If you prefer, you can transfer the egg to a bowl, or scramble it in a small wok with not enough space for the veg as well.) Add the onion and red pepper to the wok, stir-fry for a minute, then add the prawns and stir-fry for 30–60 seconds, until lightly browned.
Add the beansprouts to the wok, stir-fry for 20–30 seconds, then add the noodles and stir-fry for a minute. Stir in the spice paste and cook, stirring, until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined, and the noodles have dried out a little and are just starting to stick to the wok. Transfer to a large serving bowl, scatter over the spring onion garnish and serve.
