The ingredients look like a real hotchpotch. But then again, this is typical of the dynamic and tasty cuisine of Singapore, where lots of seafood, chillies and noodles are combined with truly East-meets-West flavourings. A golden ale or wheat beer wouldn’t go astray.
Ingredients
- 7 oz (200 g) hokkien (egg) noodles
- 2 fl oz/¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
- 3½ oz (100 g) green beans trimmed cut into 3 cm (1¼ inch) lengths
- 1 onion halved cut into wedges
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 cm (¾ inch) chunk fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 2 large red chillies thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced
- 10½ oz (300 g) raw prawns (shrimp)deveined unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon black beans mashed
- 1 tablespoon sambal or chilli paste
- 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
How to Make It
- Put the noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for a couple of minutes, or until softened. Drain.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add the beans and onion and stir-fry for 8–10 minutes, or until the onion is golden and the beans are tender.
- Stir through the garlic, ginger, sliced chilli and spring onion and cook for 1 minute, or until aromatic.
- Add the prawns and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, or until they turn pink. Add the black beans, sambal, vinegar, tomato sauce, sugar, soy sauce and 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) water. Stir the ingredients, allowing the sauce to boil and thickly coat the prawns.
- Add the noodles and sesame oil, stirring them in well. Cook for 1–2 minutes, or until the noodles are heated through and are coated in the spicy sauce.
