Mie goreng (; meaning "fried noodles"), also known as bakmi goreng, is an Indonesian stir-fried noodle dish. It is made with thin yellow noodles stir fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, beef, or sliced bakso (meatballs), chili, Chinese cabbage, cabbages, tomatoes, egg, and other vegetables. Ubiquitous in Indonesia, it is sold by food vendors from street hawkers (warungs) to high-end restaurants.
History
In Indonesia, where mi goreng is one of the most widespread simple dishes, the dish's origin is clearly associated with Chinese Indonesian cuisine. Chinese influences are evident in Indonesian food such as bakmi, mi ayam, pangsit, bakso, lumpia, kwetiau goreng, and mi goreng. The dish is derived from Chinese chow mein and believed to have been introduced by Chinese immigrants in Indonesia. Despite being influenced by Chinese cuisine, mi goreng in Indonesia has a definite Indonesian taste and has been heavily integrated into Indonesian cuisine, through, for example, the application of sweet soy sauce that adds mild sweetness, a sprinkle of fried shallots, and spicy sambal. Pork and lard are eschewed in favour of shrimp, chicken, or beef to cater to the Muslim majority.
Preparation
Mi goreng is traditionally made with yellow wheat noodles, stir-fried with chopped shallots, onion, and garlic with soy sauce seasoning, egg, vegetables, chicken, meat or seafood. However, other versions might use dried instant noodles instead of fresh yellow wheat noodles. A common practice in Indonesia is the inclusion of the powdered instant noodle seasonings, along with egg and vegetables. Authentic mi goreng uses fresh ingredients and spices; however, bottled instant spice paste might be used for practical reasons.
The almost identical recipe is often used to create other dishes. For example, bihun goreng is made by replacing yellow wheat noodles with bihun (rice vermicelli), while kwetiau goreng uses kwetiau (thick flat rice noodles) instead.
Variations
A number of mi goreng variants exist. In Indonesia mi goreng variants are usually named after the ingredients, while some might be named after the region of origin. Mi goreng ayam or common mi goreng uses chicken with shallots, garlic, leek, sweet soy sauce, egg, and vegetables typically added as well. Mi goreng ayam penyet mi goreng topped with ayam penyet smashed fried chicken with sambal. Mi goreng sapi, similar to common traditional mie goreng, but uses beef instead. Mi goreng kambing uses goat meat or mutton. Mi goreng kerang uses clam. Mi goreng udang uses shrimp. Mi goreng seafood uses seafood which includes mixture of fish, squid, and shrimp. Mi goreng Aceh a mi goreng variant from Aceh province, which uses a thicker noodle similar to that of spaghetti, and employs a curry-like rich spicy paste. Mi goreng Jawa from Central Java, employ sweet soy sauce, egg, chicken, and vegetables. In restaurant, warung or travelling food vendor, it usually sold and offered together with mi rebus (lit. "boiled noodle") or mi Jawa. Mi goreng tek-tek refer to mi goreng sold by travelling street hawkers that hitting the wok making "tek-tek" sounds to announce their wares. It is common in Jakarta and some large cities in Java, where street food hawkers commonly sell it together with nasi goreng (fried rice) and mi rebus from their food carts. Mi goreng dhog-dhog also known as Mi goreng Surabaya from Surabaya city. Refer to travelling food cart vendor selling mi goreng Surabaya that uses large wooden slit drum instead to announce his presence in the neighbourhood, thus creates "dhog-dhog" sounds.
Indomie Mi goreng the instant version of mi goreng, Indomie Mi goreng is also popular in Indonesia and other countries, notably Netherlands, Nigeria, Australia, New Zealand, United States and several Middle Eastern countries. This instant version however, is not technically goreng (stir-fried), but boiled instead and seasoned after discarding the water used for boiling. Nevertheless, it tries to closely resemble the authentic mi goreng by adding sweet soy sauce and crispy fried shallot. It is commonly found in warung Indomie stalls that sell instant noodles, grilled sandwiches and hot drinks in Indonesian urban areas.
Indonesians tend to name similar foreign dishes as mi goreng, for example in Indonesia, chow mein is often called mi goreng Cina and yakisoba is called mi goreng Jepang.