Mie Goreng is a popular Indonesian fried noodle dish that everyone is sure to love. Indonesian Mie Goreng is incredibly flavorful and versatile, featuring noodles stir-fried in a delicious sweet and savory sauce. No ticket to Bali needed; make this for dinner tonight!
Every Asian region has its own classic version of fried noodles and for Indonesia, it is none other than Mie Goreng. "Mie Goreng" literally translates to "fried noodles". I absolutely love how versatile this dish is. You can add just about any protein or vegetable in this dish but what really makes this dish special is the delicious sauce.
Kecap Manis, a sweet and savory soy sauce is the star of this dish. It is one of my favorite sauces and I look for every excuse to put it on everything.
Mie Goreng is typically topped with some crispy shallots that not only add a nice crunch but incredible flavor. Just a touch of freshly squeezed calamansi lime juice truly elevates the flavors of this dish.
Even though Mie Goreng is typically prepared using yellow egg noodles, you can also use ramen noodles or even instant noodles in a pinch! In fact, one of my favorite instant noodles as a child was Indomie - basically Mie Goreng in instant noodle form.
How to Cook Indonesian Mie Goreng
It's always a good idea to have your sauce for any stir-fry prepared ahead of time. Once the food hits the wok, it cooks very quickly so you won't have the time to measure the ingredients individually.
Prepare the sauce by combining 4 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce and 2 dashes of ground white pepper.
It is important to use a really good sweet soy sauce as it is the star ingredient in this recipe. I highly recommend ABC Brand sweet soy sauce. It is my personal favorite.
Crispy shallots are a popular condiment in Asian cuisine. You'll find them in just about any type of dish - soups, appetizers, salads, rice dishes and of course, noodles.
It is totally optional to add crispy shallots to Indonesian Mie Goreng but I highly recommend it. They will not only serve as a flavorful topping; the shallots also flavor the oil.
If you would like to skip the step of making the crispy shallots at home, you can find it at most Asian supermarkets or online.
To prepare them at home, thinly slice 2 small shallots. They should be almost paper-thin. Heat approximately ¼ cup of cooking oil in a wok over medium-low heat. Just before the oil gets too hot, add the sliced shallots, then turn the heat up to medium.
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Remove the shallots from the wok using a spider skimmer or a soup skimmer when they are just about golden brown. Spread them out on a paper towel so that it can soak up the excess oil.
Use a wok spatula to remove most of the oil from the wok, leaving behind about 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Add 2 cloves of garlic (minced) to the wok. Fry until aromatic (this should take about 20 seconds), then add 8 - 10 medium-sized shrimp (deveined, tail on). Stir-fry for about another 30 seconds until the shrimp are about half-way cooked.
Add 2 cups of shredded cabbage to the wok, then stir-fry till the cabbage has softened slightly. This should take less than a minute. The shrimp should be fully cooked at this point as well.
Add 1 ½ pounds of egg noodles. Fresh egg noodles should be easily accessible in most Asian supermarkets. Hokkien noodles or yakisoba noodles work well for this recipe. Alternatively, you can also use instant noodles or ramen.
Give the sauce a quick stir, then pour all of the sauce over the noodles.
Stir-fry the noodles to distribute the sauce evenly, then add 1 ½ cups of fresh bean sprouts to the wok.
Stir to combine all the ingredients well, then transfer the noodles to a serving dish.
Top with crispy shallots, sliced red chili, and chopped scallions.
If you can find calamansi limes in your area, I highly recommend serving them with this dish. Calamansi limes have a very unique citrusy flavor - a mix of sweet orange and sour lime. Perfect with Indonesian Mie Goreng. If you are not able to find calamansi limes, just regular limes will do.
Enjoy!
Indonesian Fried Noodles (Mie Goreng)
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons kecap manis sweet soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 dashes ground white pepper
For the noodles
- 2 small shallots thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cooking oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 8 - 10 medium shrimp deveined, tail on
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 ½ lbs fresh yellow egg noodles
- 1 ½ cups fresh bean sprouts
- sliced fresh red chili garnish
- chopped scallions garnish
- calamansi lime or regular lime wedges garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce by combining the kecap manis, soy sauce, oyster sauce and white pepper.
- Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-low heat. Add the sliced shallots, then increase the heat to medium.
- Remove the shallots from the wok using a spider skimmer or a soup skimmer when they are just about golden brown. Spread them out on a paper towel so that it can soak up the excess oil.
- Use a wok spatula to remove most of the oil from the wok, leaving behind about 2 tablespoons of the oil.
- Add garlic to the wok, followed by the shrimp. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until the shrimp are half-way cooked.
- Add sliced cabbage. Stir-fry till slightly softened (about one minute).
- Add noodles.
- Give the sauce a stir, then pour the sauce over the noodles. Stir-fry the noodles to distribute the sauce evenly, then add fresh bean sprouts to the wok.
- Stir to combine all the ingredients well, then transfer the noodles to a serving dish.
- Top with crispy shallots, sliced red chili, and chopped scallions.
KUMARI JAYASUNDERE says
I did make it . Turn out very nicely. like it .
Thanks
Char says
Hi Kumari! Thanks for trying this recipe and for taking the time to leave this comment! I really appreciate it and I'm glad that you enjoyed this dish!
Jane says
Loved it!! Turned out great 🙂
Char says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jane! Thank you for taking the time to leave this comment!
Lily says
I tried this recipe from a wagamamas cook book and it sucked. I then tried this one and no one in my household wants to eat anything else. Absolutely delicious. (Try putting a fried egg on top!)
Char says
Hi Lily! Ahhh I'm so glad your family enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Fried egg on the top...brilliant!