Mee Goreng Mamak

Ingredients

Noodles

• 400 gfresh yellow wheat noodles, mee

Solids

• 150 gfirm tofu or tauhu, cubed and fried
• 1potato, boiled and diced
• 100 gprawns or sliced chicken
• 2eggs
• 100 gbeansprouts
• 1 handfulmustard greens or choy sum
• 2spring onions, in lengths

Base

• 4shallots, sliced
• 4 clovesgarlic, chopped
• 2 tbspdried chilli paste, cili boh
• 4 tbspoil

Sauce

• 3 tbsptomato ketchup
• 2 tbspchilli sauce
• 2 tbspdark sweet soy sauce, kicap manis
• 1 tbsplight soy sauce
• 1 tbspoyster sauce, or omit for halal preference
• 1 tspsugar
• 3 tbspwater

To serve

• lime wedges
• sliced green chilli
• fried shallots

Directions

1. Rinse them briefly under warm water and loosen the strands with your fingers. Rinsing removes the surface oil and some of the alkaline smell, and it stops them clumping into a solid mass in the wok.
2. Drain them thoroughly and shake them dry. Wet noodles going into a wok drop the temperature immediately and steam everything instead of frying it. Combine everything in the sauce list and stir it until smooth. Mixing it beforehand matters because the whole cooking takes about three minutes and there is no time to measure.
3. Fry the tofu separately first until golden on all sides, and boil and dice the potato in advance. Both need to be ready before the wok is hot, since neither can be cooked in the three minutes the dish takes.
4. Heat the oil and fry the shallots and garlic for twenty seconds until fragrant. Add the chilli paste and fry it for a minute until the oil turns red and the raw smell goes. Add the prawns or chicken and cook them briefly.
5. Let them set for a few seconds before breaking them up, which gives distinct pieces of egg rather than a smear over everything. Pour the sauce around the edge of the wok rather than into the middle. Pouring it down the hot sides caramelises it against the metal, which is where the smoky wok flavour comes from.
6. Toss and lift constantly with tongs or two spatulas for a minute or two. Add the greens and beansprouts in the last thirty seconds. Add them right at the end, since beansprouts turn limp and watery within a minute.
7. Taste and adjust, adding more kicap manis for sweetness or chilli sauce for heat. Serve immediately with lime wedges and sliced green chilli.

Technique

• Mamak refers to the Tamil Muslim community whose stalls are a Malaysian institution.
• Tomato ketchup in the sauce is genuine rather than a shortcut.
• Fried tofu and diced potato are characteristic of this version.

Substitutions

• Chilli paste made from soaked dried chillies, in place of shop-bought cili boh.
• Any fresh wheat noodle, though yellow mee is the right one.

Variations

• Mee goreng basah, a wetter version with more gravy.
• Made with mutton, which is common at mamak stalls.
• Made vegetarian, with tofu and vegetables only.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mee Goreng Mamak?

Mee Goreng Mamak is a main from Malaysia: indian-Muslim fried yellow noodles, sweet-spicy with tofu and potato.

How long does Mee Goreng Mamak take to make?

Mee Goreng Mamak takes 25 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mee Goreng Mamak?

Yes, within limits. Chilli paste made from soaked dried chillies, in place of shop-bought cili boh. Any fresh wheat noodle, though yellow mee is the right one.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mee Goreng Mamak?

Drain them thoroughly and shake them dry. Wet noodles going into a wok drop the temperature immediately and steam everything instead of frying it. Combine everything in the sauce list and stir it until smooth. Mixing it beforehand matters because the whole cooking takes about three minutes and there is no time to measure.