Mee Goreng

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A deeply delicious and spicy noodle dish from Indonesia, this wonderful supper will offer a contrast of flavours and textures compared to the past few days of Christmas feasting. It is also the perfect recipe for using up the last few scraps of turkey.

The noodles are mixed with a variety of vegetables and as well as chicken/turkey and prawns and all are swathed in a sweet, savoury and chilli sauce, the main ingredient of which is Kecap Manis. This is made from soy sauce reduced with palm sugar, the result of which is an intense, sticky, caramelised, sweet, salty and utterly moreish sauce. It is available in most large supermarkets and certainly in Asian stores and on line. Kecap Manis is then mixed with a few other store cupboard ingredients to further enhance these wonderful flavours.

Mee Goreng translates literally as Fried Noodles, and should not be confused with the equally popular Nasi Goreng, which is Fried Rice. Noodles, unsurprisingly, are the main ingredient of this dish but what you then add, can vary greatly. I have used some of the most common ingredients but you can change these up according to your tastes and what you have left over from Christmas. However, do try to stick to the same quantities/ratios to ensure you have sufficient sauce to generously cover everything. One of my pet dislikes, is not enough sauce!

Variations:

Vegetarian – if you omit the chicken and prawns, this makes a wonderful vegetarian dish.

Vegan – omit the eggs as well, and it is still fabulous and vegan.

Salmon – this dish is also delicious with salmon instead of the chicken and prawns. Remove the skin and slice or cube and add at point 11. It may break up a bit but it will still be delicious.

Just chicken/turkey or just prawns – if you prefer you could also make this with just prawns or chicken.

How to make Mee Goreng

Collect all your ingredients together.

The sauce:

• kecap manis
• oyster sauce
• tomato ketchup
• water
• sriracha sauce or sambal oelek or your favourite chilli sauce
• light soy sauce
• dark soy sauce
• fine salt
• freshly ground white pepper or black pepper
• chilli flakes – if you are looking for extra heat!

The noodle mix:

• ground nut oil
• dark roasted sesame oil
• onion or shallot
• cloves of garlic
• galangal or ginger
• chicken or turkey breast or thigh, chopped into small pieces
• prawns
• vegetables such as pak choy, white cabbage, sweetcorn, red pepper/capsicum, broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, spouts
• beansprouts
• spring onions
• fresh coriander
• Thai sweet basil or holy basil
• eggs, beaten
• ready to use or pre-prepared egg noodles

Toppings to serve:

• Crispy fried shallots
• spring onions, trimmed and sliced
• Red chilli, thinly sliced
• Handful of chopped salted peanuts
• Lime wedges

How to make the Mee Goreng:

Make up the sauce:

• Although it looks like a lot of ingredients, all you have to do is simply measure them into a jug or bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine.

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Now make the whole dish:

1. Prepare everything before you start cooking:
   • chicken/turkey – cut into small cubes
   • prawns/shrimps – cut into half or quarters, if large
   • onion or shallots, peeled and finely chopped
   • cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely chopped
   • peeled galangal or ginger, finely grated or chopped
   • broccoli – small florets
   • red pepper/capsicum – seeds and stalk removed, thinly sliced
   • carrots – peeled or scrubbed and sliced into thin batons
   • sweetcorn – either fresh, frozen or tinned
   • white cabbage, outer leaves removed and finely sliced
   • sprouts, outer leaves removed and shredded
   • red cabbage, outer leaves removed and finely sliced
   • pak choy, outer leaves removed and sliced
   • spring onions, trimmed and sliced
   • fresh coriander, chopped
   • Thai sweet basil or holy basil, shredded
   • eggs, beaten
   • noodles – I use fresh pre-prepared noodles but if you are using dry, prepare as per packet instructions
   • bean sprouts
2. Also prepare the topping ingredients:
   • salted peanuts
   • wedges of line
   • spring onion, shredded
   • red chilli, thinly sliced
3. Heat both oils in a large wok over a moderately hot heat and cook the onion for 3 – 4 minutes until beginning to soften and caramelise. 
4. Remove half of the onion from the wok and set aside.
5. Continue to cook the remaining onion for a further 3 – 4 minutes until light brown and slightly crispy.
6. Now remove this onion from the wok and set aside but put the onion you first removed, back into the wok. Add the garlic and galangal and cook for a minute.
7. Add the chicken to the wok and cook for 2 minutes. (If adding cooked chicken/turkey, see Recipe Notes)
8. Now add the prawns and cook for a further 1 minute. Don’t worry of the chicken and prawns are not fully cooked at this point; they will continue to cook as the other ingredients are added. (If adding cooked prawns, see Recipe Notes)
9. Now add your chosen vegetables and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until the vegetables have softened a little.
10. Add the noodles and sauce and mix thoroughly. Heat until everything is piping hot
11. Mix in the beansprouts, spring onions and fresh herbs.
12. Push all the ingredients to the side and make space to pour in the beaten egg and add some ground nut oil.
13. Add the eggs and cook next to the noodles stirring a little. When nearly cooked, stir through the noodles and toss to ensure the egg is mixed through and fully cooked.
14. To serve: serve in individual warmed bowls garnished with the crispy onion you prepared earlier, some chopped spring onion and chilli, a handful of chopped peanuts and a wedge of lime.

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Made this recipe?

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