The Temporary Vegetarian: Stir-Fried Glass Noodles, Malaysian Hawker Style

By Elaine Louie
Malaysian Hawker Style Stir-Fried Glass Noodles

Simpson Wong, the owner and executive chef of Cafe Asean in Greenwich Village, grew up in Tanjung Malim, Malaysia, a small town of 70 houses, where the local school did not serve lunch. “You walked home to eat lunch,” he said. By the time he was 10, he had graduated to buying lunch from a food cart. “Between classes, you eat on the street,” said Mr. Wong, who is 46 and Malaysian Chinese. Street hawkers would sell the students piping-hot stir-fried glass noodles with seafood, served on a banana leaf, for 10 cents.

A vegetarian version of this dish was prepared by monks at the local Buddhist temples and provided free to worshipers. It is a light and quick-cooking dish. The carrots, chives, string beans and bean sprouts are crunchy, and the sauce is piquant. “You have the balance of sweetness from the sweet soy sauce, sourness from the tamarind, and spice from the chili paste,” Mr. Wong said. The final garnish is a dollop of a second, equally perky concoction — sweet Thai chili sauce mixed with fresh lime juice, minced fresh Thai bird chili, and minced garlic.

Print Recipe

Stir-Fried Vegetarian Glass Noodles, Malaysian Hawker Style

Yield 1 large serving

Time 50 minutes

Ingredients
    For the noodles:
  • 3 ounces dried glass noodles
    • For the cooking sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Indonesian sweet soy sauce, preferably ABC brand
  • 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot chili paste
    • For the garnish sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons Thai chili sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 fresh Thai bird chili pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • To finish and serve:
  • 3 tablespoons canola or other vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup julienned carrot, in 1 1/2-inch lengths
  • 1/2 cup Chinese garlic chives or other chives, in 1 1/2-inch lengths
  • 1/2 cup trimmed, julienned green beans, in 1 1/2-inch lengths
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • 1/2 lime, cut into wedges.
Method
  • 1. For the noodles: Soak the dried glass noodles in 4 cups of warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. While the noodles are soaking, prepare the cooking sauce and the garnish sauce.
  • 2. For the cooking sauce: In a small bowl, mix the tamarind paste with 3 tablespoons water. Using a metal spoon or your fingers, break the tamarind into small pieces to infuse the water. Allow to sit for a few minutes. Place a small strainer over a clean bowl, and strain the tamarind mixture, squeezing on it to remove all liquid; discard the solids. There will be 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of a slightly thick liquid. Add the soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and hot chili paste. Mix well, and set aside.
  • 3. For the garnish sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the chili sauce, lime juice, minced fresh chili, and garlic. Set aside.
  • 4. To finish and serve: Place a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the egg, and when the bottom and edge are starting to form a crust, flip it, and stir fry until golden and almost crisp, breaking into rough strands. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Add carrot, chives and green beans and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add noodles and continue to stir vigorously to keep the noodles from sticking, about 2 minutes. Add cooking sauce and bean sprouts; toss well and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle the garnish sauce on top of the noodles as desired, and serve with lime wedges on the side.

Source: Adapted from Simpson Wong, Cafe Asean