Mie Goreng (Mee Goreng – Indonesian noodles)

Mie Goreng (or Mee Goreng) is an Indonesian noodle dish that’s also found in Malaysia and other parts of South East Asia. With a sticky, savoury sweet sauce, noodles are tossed with chicken, prawns, vegetables and signature egg ribbons. A street food favourite!

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.

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Asian Slaw – healthy, crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad

Asian Side Salad

Asian Sesame Dressing

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

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Mie Goreng (Mee Goreng)

Author: Nagi

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Mains

Asian, Indonesian, Malaysian

5 from 36 votes

Servings2 - 3 people

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Recipe video above. These noodles tossed in a sticky savoury sweet sauce originates from Indonesia but is also popular in Malaysia. With chicken, prawns, vegetables and the signature egg ribbons, it's pretty fully loaded! They're commonly made by street vendors with instant noodles which give it the familiar crinkly noodle look, but feel free to use any noodles you want. (PS Ketchup is authentic!)

Ingredients

Noodles - use ONE (Note 1):

• ▢ 3 instant noodle cakes (I use this)
• ▢ 250g/8oz fresh egg noodles , thin to medium
• ▢ 150g / 5oz dried egg noodles , thin to medium

Sauce:

• ▢ 2 tbsp kecap manis (or dark sweet soy sauce) (Note 2)
• ▢ 2 tsp light soy sauce (or normal soy, Note 3)
• ▢ 2 tsp dark soy sauce , or more light soy sauce (Note 3)
• ▢ 1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 4)
• ▢ 2 tbsp ketchup (yes really!)
• ▢ 1 tsp sambal oelak, chilli paste or Sriracha (adjust spiciness to taste)
• ▢ 2 tsp sesame oil

Stir Fried Noodles:

• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 2 eggs , lightly whisked
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• ▢ 120g/4oz chicken breast or thigh , sliced thinly into small bite size pieces
• ▢ 100g/3.5oz prawns/shrimp , raw, peeled and deveined (smaller are better)
• ▢ 2 cups cabbage , finely sliced (any green or white cabbage)
• ▢ 1 cup beansprouts
• ▢ 3 green onions , cut into 5cm/2" lengths (green and white part)

Instructions

• Mix the Sauce in a bowl.
• Prepare noodles per packet directions just before cooking.

Egg Ribbons:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in egg, swirl to coat base. Cook 1 minute until mostly set, then flip (do your best!).
• Slide onto cutting board, roll up into loose "wrap". Slice into 1cm/ 1/3" thick pieces - you now have egg ribbons!

Cooking:

• Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in same skillet over HIGH heat.
• Add garlic and chicken, cook until half surface turns white.
• Add prawns and cook for 1 minute until chicken is mostly cooked.
• Add cabbage and bean sprouts, toss for 1 minute until a bit wilted.
• Add noodles, green onions and Sauce, toss for 1 - 2 minutes until Sauce reduces and noodles caramelise a bit.
• Toss through egg ribbons and serve immediately!

Recipe Notes:

1. Noodles - use any yellow / wheat noodles you want, not rice noodles. Instant noodles (like you get in ramen and Maggi Noodles packets) is actually quite commonly used across South East Asia! I love the crinkly look - it's familiar and authentic!

2. Kecap Manis - sweet, intense flavoured soy sauce. Syrupy consistency, sauce used in Indonesian and Malaysian cooking (like Indonesian Nasi Goreng - Fried Rice). Sold in Asian section at large supermarkets in Australia (Woolies, Coles). OR use Dark Sweet Soy Sauce (very similar).

3. Soy sauces - the dark soy sauce stains the noodles darker brown and has a more intense soy flavour than light soy sauce. Light soy adds saltiness to dishes but doesn't stain noodles. Can sub Dark Soy with more light soy or all purpose. DO NOT sub the light soy with more dark soy sauce - too intense!

4. Oyster Sauce - if you can't consume, sub with Vegetarian Mushroom "Oyster Sauce", now available at major supermarkets in Australia like Woolies.

5. Recipe source - Original source from a cookbook I borrowed from the library many years ago, unfortunately I can't remember the name!

6. Nutrition per serving. You can reduce by 50 cal per serving if you halve the oil, just be sure to use a very good non stick pan. If you skip the sesame oil, you'll reduce it by another 35 cal per serving.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 696cal (35%)Carbohydrates: 73g (24%)Protein: 39g (78%)Fat: 27g (42%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Cholesterol: 328mg (109%)Sodium: 2182mg (95%)Potassium: 634mg (18%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 23g (26%)Vitamin A: 563IU (11%)Vitamin C: 42mg (51%)Calcium: 153mg (15%)Iron: 6mg (33%)

Keywords: indonesian noodles, Malaysian noodles, Mee Goreng, Mie Goreng

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