I used to be very addicted to Indo Mie, especially their instant mee goreng. It’s basically a traditional Indonesian fried noodle dish with fried onions and glutamated soy sauce. My mom was born and raised in Indonesia, and introduced me to the spicy world of Indonesian food. Along with this came the instant foods as well.
As with all instant foods, Indo Mie’s packets of love are stuffed full of palm oil and lard. These things aren’t exactly the hallmark of healthful eating. I used to eat these almost everyday, but that’s when I was under 23 and invincible. Okay, so maybe I’m still a little invincible, but not for long.
Time for some real homemade Mee Goreng. It doesn’t really matter which recipe you follow. There are two main elements in this dish that will catapult it to ultimate savoriness: the ketjap manis, and the fried onions.
So what exactly is ketjap manis? It’s the thick sweet soy sauce that comes in those little packets. This is very simple to make. Grab about a tablespoon or two of soy sauce and about the same amount of brown sugar and heat on a low simmer in a saucepan. Throw in some stalks of green onion and ginger as well. The key is to heat it to the right thickness. You don’t want it to thin, or the sauce won’t properly coat the noodles. Also, don’t get it too thick or you’ll burn it. The right consistency is a little thicker than maple syrup.
The second thing not to miss out on is the fried onions. You can grab these at your local Asian supermarket. If you can’t find it, just make some at home. Just finely chop up some onions and caramelize in a pan. Keep caramelizing until it’s crispy. That’s it.
After making the sauce and onions, you’re 90% to freshly made Mee Goreng. Now, decide what else you want to go in the noodles. Some good ideas are chicken, tofu, or bell peppers. The sky’s the limit. Simply stir fry this with your cooked Asian noodles (any will do) and the fried onions with plenty of peanut oil to prevent sticking. Next, pour the ketjap manis over the noodles and mix thoroughly. Serve as quickly as possible, since the noodles will tend to become very sticky after sitting out. A fried egg sunnyside up is traditionally placed on top for the final finish.
Eating my own Mee Goreng brought back many memories. I just wish I knew how easy it was to make it fresh. Trust me, it’s ten times better than the package.