Shawarma ‘Singapore’ noodles with corn and cauliflower

This particular recipe is a bit of a happy accident – it came about one day when I was making Singapore noodles and I spotted a bottle of New York Shuk’s Shawarma spice on the condiment tray next to my wok.

Credit: Hetty McKinnon

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

I unscrewed the lid and took a whiff – I loved the smell so much, I instantly decided to use the shawarma instead of the curry powder. The result was spectacular, and suddenly, shawarma noodles became a thing! Of course, if you want to make traditional Singapore noodles, simply substitute the shawarma spice with a mild curry powder.

Ingredients

• vegetable or other neutral oil
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 small cauliflower (about 650 g), cut into florets
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 200 g corn kernels (from 2 corn cobs)
• 300 g rice vermicelli, soaked in warm water for 5–10 minutes
• 155 g (1 cup) fresh or frozen peas
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• sea salt and white pepper
• Maggi Seasoning Sauce, to serve (optional)

Shawarma spice

• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp sea salt
• black pepper

Instructions

1. To make the shawarma spice, combine all the ingredients in a small jar and shake well.

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil, then the onion and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the cauliflower, season with sea salt and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until just tender. Add the garlic and corn and toss for another minute. Remove from the wok or pan and set aside.

3. Drain the vermicelli. Return the wok or pan to medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of oil and the shawarma spice and cook for 15–20 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add the vermicelli, along with a bit more oil, and toss until the noodles are heated through and thoroughly coated in the spice mix. Return the cauliflower mixture to the pan, along with the peas, 2–3 big pinches of sea salt and a pinch of white pepper, and toss until everything is well mixed and the peas are cooked - about 1–2 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and add the shallot. Taste and season with sea salt and white pepper. Sprinkle over a few drops of Maggi, if you like, and serve.

This recipe is from 'To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon (Plum, RRP $39.99) Photography by Hetty McKinnon.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

I unscrewed the lid and took a whiff – I loved the smell so much, I instantly decided to use the shawarma instead of the curry powder. The result was spectacular, and suddenly, shawarma noodles became a thing! Of course, if you want to make traditional Singapore noodles, simply substitute the shawarma spice with a mild curry powder.