My mum’s favourite dish would have to be noodles. After all she is from Singapore where noodles in every way, shape or form inevitably make their way onto lunch and dinner plates and bowls. One of her favourite noodle dishes is a “wet” noodle dish using rice noodles called “Hor Fun” which features rice noodles soused in a delectable sauce. As we are staying with them while our place is being renovated, I am taking the opportunity to have her show me the recipes that I like best and this noodle dish is one of those. She is only too happy to share her recipes with me now and whilst she won’t let me put a current picture of her on my wesbite she did let me put up these old black and whites up of her.
My Mother on left-I love a cup of tea too!
My Mother on right and her sister on the left
Usually made with beef, this is also a dish which unravelled a little history to it. My grandmother made the Rice Wine 20 years ago and it’s now stored in an old Ribena bottle. My grandmother was a woman who had 6 children and my mother was the youngest of the lot and therefore the “baby”. My grandmother was a strict woman, after all being widowed after the war with 6 kids meant that she needed to show some discipline in order to keep her brood in check and she made sure that they all went to university and made a good living for themselves. She was strict but of course caring in her own gruff way, making sure that you got the best pieces of a dish before anyone else. And notoriously hot tempered which has invited some comparisons between me and her! Who moi?
My grandmother’s Home-made Rice Wine
I know it seems like an inordinate amount of ingredients for a simple dish but if you look closely, they’ll probably be things that you already have in your pantry. The key is to have everything ready and then once it’s ready, it’s a relatively quick dish to cook which accounts for why you see it at so many outdoor stalls and at food festivals. The dish smells absolutely wonderful whilst cooking it and I defy anyone to resist it. The taste is just as wonderful as the scent suggests, the slippery noodles drenched in an aromatic sauce with a generous surplus of meat and noodles. And there’s no shortage of “best pieces” here.
Funnily enough, I found this photo of my mum and her friends. Looks like an early sighting of the Foodus Bloggerus!
Foodus Bloggerus sighting 1960
So tell me a bit about your mother or grandmother Dear Reader!
Chicken (or Beef) Hor Fun Noodles
Marinated meat:
- 1 teaspoon rice wine
- 1 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 300g chicken or steak, sliced thinly
Sauce:
- 2 cups chicken or beef stock (depending on which meat you’re cooking)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Rest of ingredients:
- 500g/1 lb fresh rice noodles
- 3/4 a bunch of chinese vegetables, sliced into sections
- 2-3 tablespoons oil
- 1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 3 shallots, sliced
- Fresh chili to serve (optional)
Buyer’s tip: fresh rice noodles, Chinese vegetables, rice wine and oyster sauce can all be bought at Asian Grocery stores. Chinese vegetables are Gai Larn or Chinese broccoli etc or you can use broccoli if they aren’t available. Dried rice noodles can also be used but these need to be soaked in water as per the directions.
1. Marinate meat for about 20 minutes. Place your sauce ingredients in a large jug and mix to combine.
2. In a large wok or frying pan, heat oil and gently fry rice noodles until they turn soft. When you add the noodles into the pan, gently separate the larger chunks so that there aren’t any large clumps of noodles. Remove from the pan and place on the serving dish.
3. Fry the ginger, garlic and shallots until starting to become fragrant (2 minutes or so) and then add marinated meat and fry for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the frypan and place aside in a separate bowl or plate.
4. Heat the sauce ingredients (stir the contents of the jug just before adding to the pan to ensure that the cornflour doesn’t sit at the bottom) and stirring constantly for a few minutes until thickened. Then add chicken and chinese vegetables and cook for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are soft.
5. Ladle the meat, vegetables and sauce over the rice noodles and serve immediately.
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69 Comments | Add your own
great post!! ye mom pics are lovely!! i love the yummy noodles posted here
ye mom is a great cook like you
I love the last pic of your mom. It looks like food love runs in your veins!
Your mum looks AMAZING in that dress in front of the monument! And the first photo too. She looks like such a stylish lady
Recipes handed down from generation to generation are the best. Like your home made rice wine we have bottles full of homemade passata from my grandmother. We also have bottles of home made vinegar (not for the faint hearted) and home made salami (the best!!!).
awwww i love family history photos! The noodles look damn good too!
Love the Chinese Wine in the Ribena bottle!
This dish looks fabulous. Love the photo of your mum and her friends!
NQN!!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I am such a clutz – Chinese and have no idea how to cook these noodles. I will definitely give it a go now. We have no decent Chinese takeaway where we live so I am determined to learn to cook a few Chinese noodle dishes.
By the way, I love the photos of your mum and her friends and family. Everyone was so well dressed and immaculate back in the day! The hair, the clothes!
Have a great weekend.
Hahaha oh Lorraine I love that Foodus Bloggerus photo.. circa 1960!! There’s always something about our mothers in all of us, eh? I unfortunately acquired her aesthetics (read Chinese thunder arms and thighs… le sigh!), but I’m glad I loved the kitchen the way she did too.
Oh and the noodles look so yum! No boring bits!
Lorraine this noodle dish more beef and rice wine sound outstanding!!
Gorgeous photos in colors and as memories too!
Cheers,
Gera
I like the ‘wet’ type of noodles as well, and even better when they’re home cooked and not full of oil! Thanks for the recipe! Love the pics of your mum, did she save you any of her pretty dresses?
oh my, my jaw literally dropped when i saw those lovely photos of ur mom in..the chinese cheongsam!! I’m huge fan/self-proclaimed expert on the cheongsam and its socio-historical aspect..ur mom must have come from an upper-middle class family judging from the cheongsams, clothes of the ppl at the table in the last photo circa 1960..so what bckground is ur dad from? And also, is ur grandma the lady holding the baby in the tea picture?what wonderful old photos!
Now these are the things that are truly precious. When my mother died 18 months ago, as the only daughter I was the one called on to sort her things. While doing it, I found a little notebook full of recipes my grandmother had written down! Lorraine, encourage your mum to share more of her recipes with us – it is these sorts of recipes that really teach us a little bit of another family’s history and culture. And look damn delicious to boot!
Your mum looks lovely and the dish is a must try!
Awesome post! And the home made rice wine is very interesting – my grandma who recently passed away used to make Umeshu (plum wine) every year.
Hmm i need a noodle fix for lunch today..
Hi L. I love the family photos in between.
looks delicious. Love chilli too
That looks delicious. I definitely want to try and make that for my family.
Thank-you for sharing it !
See, this looks great but everytime I cook with fresh rice noodles they end up a mushy white mess. They don’t separate or something, I’m missing a step. I can with fresh hokkien noodles or dried rice noodles (after soaking them in warm water) but fresh rice or egg noodles just end up gluggy. I need help!
I too strugle with rice noodles, they tend to end up gluggy for me too
Lorraine – can you tell us which brand of Oyster sauce you use? The only I have is so rubbish, it has no flavour at all!
yum!
we usually eat these kind of dishes at restaurants, as the “wok hay” is much better than at home, but i must try making it at home one day, thanks for sharing
nice to read about your family too!
Lorraine,
I love the good ol’ days photographs.
Homemade rice wine is practically unheard of nowadays.
I noticed that at the Foodus Bloggerus event in 1960s, there was no camera in sight
)
that looks absolutely delicious! i love any and all kinds of noodles. maybe i was Singaporean in a former life, ha!
the name of this dish always makes me giggle. very mature
i am going to try this dish at home.
my nana is teaching me her traditional holiday recipes and i have nearly mastered the old christmas pud! yum.
Yum I love ‘wet’ rice noodles as well
You can’t go wrong with a family recipe so thanks for sharing!
A beautiful Asian dish in Italian colors. I have almost everything on hand, but just made a quick chicken soup instead. Should have checked my email first. I wrote about my grandmother in this recent post. http://tinyurl.com/ny4ywo
Oh, Mrs Pang was so pretty! The dish looks utterly delicious and I’d love to try it
My mom is also from Singapore and LOVES her noodles too! Since I’ve moved away from Singapore, I have stored up on alot of my mother’s recipes. My favourite is the beef rendang! My grandmother is Indian and unfortunately never got a chance to learn any of her cooking although I’m sure my mom has adopted alot of her style and I will certainly be picking up alot of that on my visits back home!
Btw, I forgot to mention. Thanks for the recipe! I’m a HUGE hor fun fan!
Yummy yum yum! My boy will love me if I cook this.
lovely recipe..
just a add on..drizzle some soy sauce over the hor fun before frying. it enhances the otherwise bland flavour.
make sure your wok/pan is super hot before adding oil and frying your hor fun.once hor fun is in, leave it for a while and don’t stir it yet. if not it will stick to the pan. i find it tastes better if some parts of the hor fun is slight brown!!
Oh gosh, my mum has the same type of photos as those of your mum and her friends (different friends, obviously!).
I love how they’re so petite in their cheongsam – lots of hor fun meals notwithstanding.
Hee hee! I loved this post, and learning a bit more of your family!
I didn’t know your mom is from Singapore…no wonder you really know how to enjoy GOOD FOOD!!! hor fun was one of my favorite things to eat in Singapore, too.
Hmm…my mom…she’s the most gentle, caring, patient, loving person EVER. I’ve rarely seen her get really mad, and the only times she’s gotten truly angry was because of me xp
I so wish I had that kind of familt ‘culinary’ history to take part in with my mom. Unfortunately, my mother couldn’t cook to save her life, and my grannies passed on years ago. Oh well, it’s still so nice to read about other’s experiences, and yours was a great read – so precious, and incredibly delicious looking. Yet another NQ Nigella bookmark – Hor Fun will definitely be ‘fun’ to try
great post and love the photos.
my grandma makes the best steamed rice cake and she used to grind her own rice flour. can’t find anyone who makes it as good as she does. i think i know what i’ll be making for dinner this weekend. thanks for sharing.
I’ve only recently started reading your blog and I love it. Great Post – two of my great loves…family recipes and noodles. My Grandmother was a very special cook and I treasure her recipes and a few cooking implements of hers that I got to keep. Every time I make custard I think of her.
Now if only I could get fresh rice noodles (I love how they smell) where I live (the country). sigh.
Those black and white shots of your Mum are beautiful! I love the Ribena bottle full of rice wine, there’s something so distinctly homestyle Asian about that. I’ve never tried hor fun this way, I always have it in a soup or with a thick eggy gravy, but I would love to try this version!
This is one of my fav asian dishes! It’s what I order almost everytime I’m at a chinese store
I’m glad I have a recipe I can refer to now!
I like your mum’s dress in the second photo. It’s nice when the whole dish is the best bit!
What an interesting insight into your family! Love those old school pictures. Those horn rimmed glasses and finger waves are so cool.
We love that dish too – but we only ever have it with beef and lots of dark soy sauce.
So lovely to have such dishes in your family that bring with it warm, happy memories!
are the noodles supposed to have a nice wok burnt appearance to give it a smokey flavour?
Yummy recipe! Too bad the hor fun in Australia is not the same as those in Asia. I have pictures of my mum in the same era and you got to love the fashion of those days.
Such a lovely recipe! Your mother should be proud.
Stunning photos Lorraine! Your Mum is gorgeous – and so well dressed! (I think you get that from her… I can’t vouch for your hot temper from your grandmother – yet!
)
Rice noodles are my favourite, I hope you’ll make this for me one day.
ahh, my comfort food! I love how the “wok breath” sticks to my clothes when the noodles are made to eat straight away!
wonderful dish, I must try it. Great pics of your family too. I love black and white.
I grew up in the UK in the ’70s and ’80s, and seemed to eat a lot of fish fingers and baked beans!
HOLY WOW, BATMAN!
that looks amazing.
what a super story, Lorraine. thank you so much for sharing.
did your mum keep those dresses? fantastic!
How fantastic that you are learning the ways of your mother and grandmother! Keeping it real! Hey, and I love that your Grandmother’s wine is kept in the ribena bottle..don’t wanna be getting that mixed up when pouring a drink for the grandkids eh? LOL.
Love the photos, it’s amazing seeing our mothers back in the day when they were so young, chic and sexy! I loved the photos of my mom when she had the 60s shift dresses going then onto the 70s when she was walking around in groovy flares and Chanel and Prada-esque sunnies.
Sadly the same can’t be said about my dad who was all skinny nerd when he was young with black rimmed glasses. Very young Dick Smith he was!
Thanks for sharing xx
Hor Fun is one of my favorites too! I don’t think my mom would even let me put B&W pics up on the site!!
Yum, we get our hor fun fix at To’s. I really should try this recipe!
What a lovely story and I love the pics. I was actually thinking about this the other day — my grandmother really is the first person who got me interested in cooking and food. Raised in India in a fairly poor family, she began cooking for her family at age 10 when her mother died. She loves to cook and is one of the most creative cooks I have ever met — perhaps because she grew up in such circumstances. My parents tell me that I have a lot of her personality and my other grandmother’s personality in me.
Aww. what a lovely post, love the pics of your mummy! I love Hor Fun too but my favourite is Ipoh Sa Hor Fun.
My mum is so taken with the idea of blogging, she’s been digging out and posting me her antique recipe books to “try out and see”.
Yawn…I really should go to bed now
oh yum!!! The hor fun looks really good! My mum too wouldn’t let me put pictures of her, she even asked me not to put my own pictures.
Your mom is stunning! And wow, I could go for some noodles now!
aw, thanks for sharing those family pics! and wowza, that’s quite a mountain of food. good-looking food. scrumptious food. etc. etc.
That looks so yummy! I am majorly craving me some good chinese food.
gimme gimme gimme!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I have only started reading your blog recently which has become my daily staple. Hor Fun is one of my favorite comfort food and reminds me a great deal of family & home which I sorely miss especially when I’ve fallen sick now. Will be making the dish this weekend for sure!
I will have to surprise the Singaporean husband with this. Love the old back and white pics.
Great post! I love hor fun with gravy.
Thanks for sharing your family pics. I love the cheongsam and western style dress that your mum was wearing. So chic!
That looks so tasty! And I do have all of the ingredients in my pantry. Well, except for the fresh rice noodles which I will have to look for in Chinatown.
love the old pictures. you have to check out this blog http://nicerecipes.wordpress.com/ which is a collection of recipes from a recipe book written by the blogger’s grandmother from the 30’s to 60’s. there are some cool pictures of the blogger’s grandmother from that era too. it gives you a glimpse of the life of the upper-middle-class women in singapore during that time.
Yummy! Hor fun is one of my absolute FAVORITE dishes. I’ve always had it with beef, but I’ll have to try chicken next time.
Hiya,
Just wanted to know whether I can substitue the rice wine with anything as I don’t consume alcohol.
Thank you!
Thanks so much for this recipe Lorraine. I made it last night and it was delicious! I am adding it to the regulars list. I really enjoy reading your recipes.
As for my mum, she is lovely but her cooking is appalling. Seriously bad. She prides herself on never following recipes, then wonders why things never taste right. I would send her this recipe but I am too scared to see what would eventuate…
Hi nora-Thankyou so much! Hehe she is a great cook!
Hi Blond Duck -Hehe it definitely does!
Hi Esz-Thankyou! I love that dress! She had some amazing clothes (a lot of which I received yay!)
Hi sandra-Absolutely, that’s totally right!
Aww how lovely! I can imagine how fabulous they would be! 
Hi Iron Chef Shellie -Me too I have to admit
Hehe I know, she wondered why I wanted to take a picture of it! 
Hi Anita -Thankyou so much!
Hi romaverona -You’re welcome!
Oh fantastic! And this is so quick once everything is ready too 
You too, I hope you had a fantastic one! 
Hi Trisha-Isn’t it hilarious! I laughed when I saw it and knew that I had to put it up
Oh no not from what I can see about the aesthetics!? 
But definitely about the love of the kitchen 
Hi Gera-Thankyou so much!
Hi Betty -Yes this hardly has any oil in it! Yup she did! I got lots of them and I love them
She used to get bespoke dresses so the detailing and quality on them is superb! 
Hi chinesechic-Oh thankyou!
Ah yes you’re right, her family were well off although her mum was widowed during the war and she often got bespoke dresses as she loved clothes. That’s not my grandmother, I’m actually not sure who she is. Thankyou!
Hi Carol-How wonderful! That’s so lovely
What a recious momento and I bet you were so over the mooon to come across it! 
Hi Julianna-Thankyou so much!
Hi Yas-Thanks!
Oh really! I bet it was great stuff too!
Hi Big M-Thanks darling!
Hi linda-Thankyou!
Hi Victoria-You’re more than welcome! Everyone always loves this dish
Hi SydneyGal-I gently separate them when I put them into the pan and very gently push them around the pan. That seems to work? Also perhaps it depends if they are refrigerated or not?
Hi Talia-It sounds like it’s a common problem, perhaps the suggestions for SydneyGal above might help?
We use Lee Kum Kee Panda Brand Oyster sauce-hope that helps!
Hi isLa-You’re welcome! I like it as it’s lower in fat than ones you order and I love the aroma of it. Thankyou so much!
Hi Tuty-Thankyou so much! Yes it is isn’t it!
Well they were posing holding up chopstick which we’ve done at times and then of course there was the camera taking the photo! 
Hi lindsey clare-Haha maybe you were!
Hi holly-Haha I didn’t even think of that!
That’s wonderful and good on your nana! 
That would be fantastic!
Hi Jacq-You’re welcome! I hope you like it!
Hi Angela-Hehe true about the Italian colours! Fantastic stuff!
Hi Teena -Hehe yes your former teacher! Please do and let me know what you think of it!
Hi Einna-Oh you have a great recipe for beef rendang! That’s one recipe that eludes me and I settle for buying it from Satay Delight at UNSW. Great idea!
Oh you’re welcome, I hope you like it!
Hi Caroline-Hehe that’s the way!
Hi jen-Thankyou! Ahh interesting, ok thanks for that tip! Yes that’s true but my mum has never charred them too much. I love the char in Char Kway Teow.
Hi Belle-Oh how very cool! Haha yes different friend obviously
I know, how did they stay that way?
Hi Sophia-Thankyou! Yep she sure is and yes I”m sure that has a lot to do with it!
Your mum rocks!
Hi Lisa-Ahh well it can start with you!
Thankyou so much, I hope you like it and you include it perhaps in your new family history!
Hi miffy-Thankyou so much! Oh wow, she ground her own rice flour? That’s dedication! Wonderful, I’d love to know what you think of it!
Hi Jetlagmama-Oh thankyou!
That’s absolutely wonderful that you got to keep some of her things and that she shared her recipes 
Oh no, what a shame!
Although I have a recipe for fresh rice noodles (if you can get rice flour) that is so quick and easy so perhaps that helps?
Hi Steph -Thankyou! Hehe yes I had to take a pic of it and yes so homestyle Asian isn’t it
Hi Alexandra-Thanks so much! I’d love to know what you think of it if you make it!
Hi Arwen-It’s a great dress isn’t it-So Mad Men! Yes there are no boring bits there
Hi Forager-Thankyou! I know all of that fashion is back too!
Yes beef is the normal meat and I love it with beef.
Hi Julia-Thankyou it definitely is!
Hi Simon -Are you thinking of Char Kway Teow?
Hi Ellie-Thanks! Well this one is via Singapore so it’s really like the one in Asia
Hi Anh-Thankyou! I think she is
Hi Christie-Aww thankyou darling! Haha yes I disagree with that I must say
Of course!
Hi Moya-Hehe that’s true! yes you can’t get it out of your clothes can you?
Hi arista-Thankyou! I love looking through the pics
Ahh really! Well that’s part of history too 
Hi the projectivist-Thankyou! Yep she did most of them and I got them. They were so amazing I have to say!
Hi Happi blogger-I know, I’m so happy about that! Haha yes no fancy bottle there!
Hi Karen-Thankyou! I know, it’s sometimes hard to imagine isn’t it! Haha wow, she sounds like a very cool chick! Hehe so he managed to get her to marry him despite that? LOL at Dick Smith! My dad was channeling James Dean, all broody looks. Now brooding is just grumpy
xxx
Hi Meg-Hehe aww really? My mum said a definite no to the current pics but I think she really likes the B&W ones
Hi T&T-Oh To’s is great! I miss To’s!
Hi Akila-Thankyou!
OH that’s so wonderful and greta that you’re just like her! It’s amazing how creative people can be given the circumstances or perhaps because of the circumstances 
Hi shaz-Thanks so much!
Oh what kind is that? I must look that up! Haha that’s fabulous! 
Hi pigpigscorner-Thankyou!
Oh really? I suppose she’s just being protective huh?
Hi Faith-Thanks (I’m speaking for her now!
) Hehe good idea!
Hi grace-YOu’re welcome!
I know, there was so much but it was so good!
Hi ArtemisIII-Thankyou! Hehe if I could teleport some I would!
Hi Ting’er-You’re more than welcome!
I hope you’re feeling better? Wonderful, please let me know what you think of it! 
Hi Suzie-Aha great idea! Thankyou
Hi foodie-central-Me too, that gravy is so good! You’re welcome! I know, all of those dresses were divine!
Hi Kevin-Thankyou! Oh fabulous well then you simply must make it once you find some fresh rice noodles!
Hi g-Thanks so much! What a fabulous idea, thanks for letting me know! That’s wonderful
Hi Palidor-I love it with beef but sadly we didn’t have any suitable beef to do it with
Hi Shereen-Hmm well if it helps the alcohol would cook off if you cook it off for a while. I’m not sure to be honest. I wish I could suggest something as it’s such a distinct flavour :S Maybe if you cook the alcohol off (without adding the cornflour) and then add the cornflour with a little cold water once it has been cooked off?
Hi Amanda -You’re welcome!
Oh fantastic, thanks so much for letting me know! 
Oh no, I know someone like that and her cakes are rock hard! But great that you have developed a good sense of cooking despite this! 
LOL at being scared at what might eventuate 
Hi Lorraine!
Fun-tastic post! Reminds me of my trip to Singapore.
My mum still makes her own rice wine and stores it under her bed to ferment. I know when she’s tried some as she stumbles out with a bright red face!
Great Site!
Food is so central to family life, well mine at least.
I love to follow the evolution of hand written family cook books which have become quite multi-cultural as different branches of my family have married into diverse cultures reflecting the mix that is now Sydney and all of Australia.
From the fairly Anglo cakes and roasts to the now evolving Middle Eastern and South East Asian. The next generation will have even more interesting reading and experimenting.
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