Singapore Curry Noodles a la Lime Tree

So, for context, I used to live in San Francisco and would frequent a restaurant called Lime Tree, which features various southeast Asian dishes that I quickly became addicted to. One of the great tragedies of moving away was no longer having Lime Tree in my neighborhood! The cravings never went away, especially for one of my favorite dishes there - what they call their Singapore curry noodles. (I put those qualifiers there because I've learned from some Singaporean friends that "Singapore noodles" is essentially meaningless - there's no real dish in Singapore associated with that name, and the dish seems to have originated in Cantonese cooking, often describing a stir-fried noodle dish with curry flavors and a variety of meats and vegetables mixed in.)

Although it's been a while since I've had the real thing, I recently got around to the idea of trying to recreate it. I remember a few key characteristics, such as the presence of chicken and mushrooms in a curry-seasoned glass noodle mix, and I fudged the rest. I'm not sure if the greens they use are actually spinach, but if I recall, it was a pretty neutral leafy green, so for me this is close enough! At this point, I've made my version several times, so I wanted to share the basic recipe and method. I don't usually measure ingredients out with any precision since I try to always make a big batch, but the recipe I've put together references the curry recipe on the back of the curry paste jar (!) to guide the general quantities and process.

Singapore Curry Noodles (my attempt at a Lime Tree Dupe)

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
50g yellow curry paste
1 cup coconut milk
200g sliced chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach (approx. 1 lb fresh spinach)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (white button mushrooms or baby bellas, etc.)
2 "bundles" (approx. 120g when dry) saifun (bean thread) noodles
Juice of half a lime
Salt and pepper to taste, if desired

Instructions

1. On medium heat, stir fry the yellow curry paste in vegetable oil till heated through and fragrant. Then add in the coconut milk.

2. Once the coconut milk is simmering, add in the sliced chicken. Let the mixture return to a boil (increase heat to medium-high if necessary), and allow the chicken to simmer until mostly cooked through.

3. While the chicken is cooking, in a separate bowl, submerge the saifun noodles in hot water to allow them to soften. (They should soften in about 5 minutes.)

4. In the main pan, add 1/2 cup of water to the mix, stir, and then add in the spinach and mushrooms. Stir occasionally to allow even cooking. (If the mixture is too dry at this point, you can add in more coconut milk or water.)

5. When the curry returns to a boil once more, drain the saifun and add the noodles to the pan. Stir to incorporate the noodles with all of the other ingredients. When the ingredients are almost fully incorporated, add in the lime juice and give the dish a final stir. If desired, season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with lime wedges if desired, and serve while hot!

The pictures I have in this post are from making a huge batch - I think either double or triple what I've written in the recipe - just as a disclaimer! Also, I don't think fresh or frozen spinach makes a difference, so feel free to use whatever is more convenient for you. I like to keep a stash of frozen spinach on hand at all times for convenience, so the frozen route was definitely easier for me.

Hope you give this dish a try, and enjoy!