Mee goreng (which translates to fried noodles) is a very popular dish in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Thought to be derived from chow mein, it is believed to have been brought over by Chinese immigrants.
There are hundreds of different variations of mee goreng. It is sold from stalls as street food as well as in high-end restaurants. Some versions contain prawns, chicken or beef. This recipe came from Ami’s Vegetarian Delicacies, a Malaysian-based food blog. I changed the wheat noodles to soba noodles to keep it vegan & gluten free and used cashews instead of peanuts, apart from that it is fairly similar to her original recipe.
Malaysian mee goreng recipe
Serves 2-3. Vegan, gluten-free. Adapted from Amis Vegetarian Delicacies
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 150 gr mushrooms , cleaned & thinly sliced
- a handful of cashew nuts (I used salted cahews)
- 150 gr chinese cabbage, shredded
- 1 carrot, shaved into ribbons with a peeler
- 1 stick celery, diagonally sliced
- 1 tbsp chilli bean paste
- 200 gr soba noodles (or egg noodles)
- 2 or 3 spring onions, sliced diagonally (save some of the green parts for garnish)
- 1 spring garlic, finely sliced
For the sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce or kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (vegetarian)
- 1 tbsp curry paste (I used Massaman curry paste)
- 1 tbsp sambal oelek (Indonesian chili sauce)
To garnish
- a handful of fresh coriander/chives (optional)
- a few slices of spring onion (green parts)
- a handful of cashew nuts (I used salted)
- a handful of crispy fried onions (bought in a bag/tub)
Heat the olive and sesame oils in a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cashew nuts and cook for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are browned. Tip this into a bowl and set aside.
In the same pan add a bit more of the oils, when hot , stir in the cabbage, carrot, celery and chili bean paste and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Tip this into the bowl with the mushrooms and mix well.
Meanwhile cook the noodles in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet, drain them in a colander, rinse under the cold tap to stop them cooking and set aside.
For the sauce heat the sesame oil in the same frying pan over a medium heat and stir fry the spring onion, garlic and ginger for 2 minutes but don’t let it burn. Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir everything together for a minute.
Reduce the heat slightly, stir in the noodles and cooked vegetables and mix everything to coat in the sauce and heat through. Serve immediately, garnished with more cashews, spring onions, crispy onions and fresh coriander/chives.
This is also equally delicious served cold/room temperature the next day as a salad. This gives the flavours time to develop and mingle together.
