‘Mie Goreng' is the Indonesian name of the dish that means ‘fried noodles, which is facilely prepared with thin noodles that are stir-fried in cooking oil with loads of garlic, onion and seasoning along with slices of chicken, prawns, beef and a medley of fresh veggies. The dish is ubiquitous in Indonesia and other countries, Malaysia, Singapore, and India's motherland. Many different varieties of this spicy and soul-satisfying comfort dish are sold in Indonesia by food vendors from street hawkers to high-end restaurants. However, the most exciting thing about this Indonesian dish is that of all the different variants today, and each is named after a prime ingredient used in the making or the region of origin.
History of the initial origin and rise of these Indonesian fried noodles:
The roots of this noodle dish are associated with Chinese-Indonesian cuisine. If you look at most Indonesian delicacies, you will notice that a lot are similar to Chinese dishes. This is because China has influenced a majority of Indonesian dishes. Similarly, mie goreng is assumed to have been brought to Indonesia by Chinese immigrants. However, despite being impacted by Chinese cuisine, mie goreng packs an Indonesian taste because it uses the exact amount of spices that enhance the authentic taste it's known for.
How is it traditionally prepared?
Mee Goreng is prepared with yellow wheat noodles that are stir-fried with veggies, chicken, beef or egg. While making this dish, a special Indonesian sweet soy sauce adds to the mild sweetness and a handful of fried shallots sprinkled over the top and spicy sambal, another chilli paste or sauce used. A popular instant Indonesian variation uses boiling the noodles instead of stir-frying and is well seasoned after discarding the water used for boiling. Nevertheless, it, too, delivers an authentic taste.
Check out the entire recipe by clicking here.