This spicy Asian noodles recipe was inspired by my dad, who spent part of his childhood in Singapore. His time over there gave him a real taste for the spicy, saucy noodle/rice dishes Singapore is famous for, and he came back with a repertoire of lip smackingly good dishes that he passed on to me. I used to love hearing my dad’s tall tales of life in Singapore some 60+ years ago. One of my favourites is about him walking through the jungle with his friend, when a lizard jumped out from the trees to grab him by the throat. His buddy saved him by striking the killer lizard in mid-air with the machete he happened to be carrying. I always used to listen to that one with a raised skeptical eyebrow - but my uncle confirmed it to me recently too! He made recipes like this mee goreng, along with mee siam, kway teow and nasi goreng a lot when I was growing up, and I loved his confidence with the wok, which probably looked a little out of place on our little gas hob in our very British kitchen!
So what is Mee Goreng?
Mee Goreng is a spicy fried noodle dish that originated in Indonesia (but is popular in Singapore and Malaysia too). It’s made with fresh yellow noodles, soy sauce, garlic, fried vegetables and usually some kind of meat or prawns. It’s served spicy - from the addition of chillies or sambal - which is an Indonesian spice paste (my friend Mike from Chili Pepper Madness has a great recipe for sambal). There are lots of variations, depending on the region or the additional ingredients used. Mine is a basic Mee Goreng - or Mie Goreng as it’s sometimes known. Here’s what you’ll need: You can be pretty inventive with what you add into this dish. I opted for some leftover cooked chicken, mushrooms and crispy onions. I also like to serve with sliced hard boiled eggs. That’s what my dad did, so I’m sticking with it! I’ve listed lots of ingredient swaps further down in the post too.
How do you make it? (full ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below)
First we fry the shallots until lightly browned, then remove from the wok and put to one side to use as a topping later. Fry the mushrooms in the wok, then add garlic and white cabbage and fry together before adding cooked chicken and fresh yellow noodles. Cook for a few minutes, tossing everything together in tongs, then add beansprouts and spring onions. After that we add in kecap manis, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chilli sauce and white pepper and toss it all together again until heated through.
Serve the mee goreng topped with wedges of hard boiled egg, fresh coriander (cilantro), sliced chillies, chilli flakes and slices of lime.
I could eat these fried noodles all day long!
Got a taste for heat? How about some of these spicy dishes?
Healthier Slow Cooked Spicy Beef Curry Spicy Ginger Beef Stir Fry Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Curry Spicy Beef Rendang Easy Chicken Satay with Peanut Chilli Sauce
The Recipe Video:
Vegetarian Kway Teow (Asian Noodles) Spicy Pork Ramen Noodle Soup Crispy Chilli Beef Noodles Winter Noodle Salad Chicken Noodle Soup This post was first published in June 2014. Updated in February 2020 with new photos, tips, video, step-by-step photos and recipe improvements. Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
