Mie Goreng (or Mee Goreng)
I’m a sucker for good noodles. It’s one of the greatest joys of travelling around Asian – noodles galore! (And often dirt cheap, at that) This one originates from Indonesia – called Mie Goreng or Mee Goreng. It’s also pretty common in Malaysia though you’ll find the Malaysian version often has a hint of curry powder added. The unique thing about Mie Goreng is the sweet sticky sauce, and that there’s a good variety of “stuff” in the noodles. Though there’s no exact rules about what goes in it, the combination I’ve used in this recipe is pretty common – chicken, prawns, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onion and the signature “egg ribbons” which is simply a thin egg omelette rolled up and sliced into strips (it seriously takes less than 2 minutes to make).
What goes in Mie Goreng
Here’s what you need to make Mie Goreng. Feel free to switch around the protein and vegetables – just follow the quantities in the recipe so you don’t dilute the flavour!
Kecap Manis – sweet dark soy sauce
The key ingredient in the signature sticky noodle sauce is Kecap Manis which is a syrupy sweet soy sauce that adds both flavour and sweetness into the sauce as well as thickening it. Nowadays you’ll find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets in Australia, such as Woolworths and Coles.
Noodles for Mie Goreng
In both Indonesia and Malaysia, Mie Goreng is made with all sorts of noodles. Thick, thin, crinkly, smooth. What might surprise you though is that Mie Goreng is actually commonly made by street vendors using instant noodles! Literally, the noodles you get in ramen and other instant noodles packets (just toss the seasoning packet). I like using instant noodles for Mie Goreng because you get that signature crinkly look just like you get from street food vendors!
How to make Mie Goreng
This is made like any stir fried noodles, with the addition of an extra step to make egg ribbons first. Just simply make a thin egg omelette, roll it up and slice. Then we toss this back into the dish right at the very end.
You’ll notice that the sauce is quite thick and sticky, so once you start tossing the noodles, the sauce will reduce quite quickly. This is what we want to happen! The sauce sort of caramelises on the noodles which adds extra flavour – trust me, you will know when the noodles are ready to come off the stove.
What to serve with Mie Goreng
There’s a decent amount of vegetables in this, so I think it’s ok to serve as a meal without a side of vegetables. But if you do want to add something to the menu, try one of these – they are refreshing sides so will be a nice contrast to the strong flavour in this noodle dish. This recipe serves 2 to 3 people which I know is an odd number. But it’s one of those dishes that’s hard to make in big batches because you need to toss enthusiastically to mix everything up and get things browning and caramelising So even with a large wok or skillet, there’s only so much you can make in one go. Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
Your Noodle Life
Life of Dozer
My lovely new neighbours left some fresh bread by my front door – and Dozer was quick to check it out, thinking it was for HIM!!! Paws off Dozer, that’s for ME!
