Fried Noodles

You won't be able to resist making these noodles with vegetables and chicken! Mie Goreng is a perfect recipe to enjoy day to day. It's brought to us by Eva, from Bake-Street, and I assure you you're going to love it!

One of the ingredients I always have in my pantry is noodles. I find them very versatile since they pair well with a wide variety of ingredients, and you can have them ready in a few minutes. Today I'll show you a marvel of Indonesian cuisine, Mie Goreng or fried noodles.

The Mie Goreng also known as mee goreng, mi goreng or bakmi goreng, is a dish of fried noodles, traditional in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, full of flavor and slightly spicy.

It is made with very simple ingredients such as garlic, onion or shallot, chili, Chinese cabbage or pak choy, vegetables, chicken or shrimp. Some versions also add egg, either scrambled or fried, which can be mixed with the other ingredients or placed on top just at the moment of serving.

This dish is commonly found at street stalls sold as “Street Food” (street food), along with the classic nasi-goreng (fried rice), or also in high-end restaurants.

In Sri Lanka it is a very popular dish thanks to Malay influences and we can buy it at street food stalls throughout the country.

Origin of Mie Goreng

It is a preparation with obvious Chinese influence. Its origin comes from Chow Mein (Chinese fried noodles) and it is believed to have been introduced to Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore by Chinese immigrants. It also bears some resemblance to Yakisoba of Japanese origin.

This dish is distinguished by the use of sweet soy (Kecap Manis), which gives it smoothness and sweetness, along with the spicy flavor, fried onion, the absence of pork and the use of chicken or shrimp instead. In any case, what most characterizes this dish is that it is made with fresh, homemade ingredients, avoiding the use of packaged foods.

There are other variants such as bihun goreng which substitutes noodles with rice vermicelli or kwetiau goreng which uses flat rice noodles instead.

We will prepare these fried noodles trying to keep their most traditional essence, but also adding some ingredients that suit my personal taste. In this case the Thai oil, lime and fresh cilantro will make our dish much fresher and together with the sweet and sour flavors, we will achieve a fantastic result.

La Tourangelle Wok Thai Oil, De Buyer high-sided mineral iron pan and Fleur de Ligne porcelain bowl from Tokyo Design Studio.

Ingredients (for 2 servings)

• 85gr of dried egg noodles
• 115gr of chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons of La Tourangelle Wok Thai Oil
• 2 large garlic cloves
• ½ large red onion
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander seed
• 80gr of carrot, peeled and cut into strips
• 250gr of Chinese cabbage cut into thin strips with a mandoline
• 90gr of fresh bean sprouts
• Fresh cilantro to taste
• 1 tablespoon of fried onion (optional)
• Lime wedges

For the sauce:

• 45gr of vegetable and chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 tablespoon of Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy)
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce

Preparation

Prepare the sauce

1. In a small bowl mix all the sauce ingredients until completely homogeneous.
2. Set aside.

Sauté the vegetables and chicken

1. Cook the noodles as specified on the package. Set aside.
2. Chop the onion and garlic very finely, set aside.
3. Place our De Buyer pan over medium heat. Pour 1 tablespoon of Wok Thai oil and let it warm up a bit.
4. Add the chicken breast and cook, on both sides, until it takes on a slight golden color. Remove from the pan, lightly salt.
5. When we can handle it without burning ourselves, we will cut the chicken into strips. Set aside.
6. In the same pan, add the other tablespoon of oil along with the onion, the chopped garlic and the ground coriander seed.
7. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. It should take a slight golden color, but not burn.
8. Add the carrot along with the Chinese cabbage and cook for 1-2 minutes. You will notice the vegetables reduce due to water loss and become slightly tender.
9. Add the noodles, previously cooked, along with the sauce we had set aside.
10. Leave over medium heat, stirring to help the ingredients mix evenly.
11. Cook for 2-3 minutes, there should be no liquid left on the bottom of the pan.
12. Add the bean sprouts along with the chicken strips and mix.
13. Remove from the heat, sprinkle the fried onion along with the fresh cilantro and serve.
14. We will accompany with some lime wedges.

De Buyer high-sided mineral iron pan B

Notes

• We can use fresh or dried noodles, at our choice. If using fresh ones, you only have to add them to the pan with the rest of the ingredients at the moment specified in the preparation. If using dried noodles, I recommend preparing them while we sauté the vegetables.
• Do not cook the noodles longer than specified, otherwise, after frying them, they will take on a texture that is too soft and unpleasant.
• Traditionally this dish is made with pak choy although it can also be made with Chinese cabbage or green cabbage. On this occasion I decided to use the ingredient that is more liked at home. Besides adding texture to the preparation.
• We can replace the chicken with prawns or large shrimp. We will sauté them the same way as the chicken and set them aside to add later to the dish.
• If you can't find sweet soy sauce, you can substitute it with regular soy sauce.
• The Sriracha sauce I use is homemade and very spicy, for that reason I only add 1 teaspoon. If you use store-bought sauce, you should add more, 1 tablespoon or adjust to your taste.
• I personally like to squeeze a bit of lime juice
• It is common to serve Mie Goreng with a fried egg, so if you feel like enjoying a super complete plate, don't hesitate to do so.

Don't miss trying this Mie Goreng, I'm sure you'll love it! It's a dish we can have ready in 20 minutes and it will solve a lunch or dinner, and it's very enjoyable besides.

As you can see it's not necessary to have a wok to make it. The De Buyer pan being high-sided is perfect for preparing dishes of this type, besides its excellent heat distribution across the surface which guarantees quick and even cooking.

We look forward to seeing yours and hearing what you thought of it!