30-minute mee goreng basah (‘wet’ Indonesian noodles)

If you’ve never heard of mee goreng, you need to get it on your radar. If you have, you’ll know how delicious these mildly spicy Indonesian noodles are. It’s classic Indonesian street food but hey, great news – you can make it at home in just 30 minutes.

When I visited Singapore, Mr. Scrummy and I ate virtually every meal in the incredible street food markets there. One of the dishes we both enjoyed the most was mee goreng, an amazingly tasty fried egg noodles dish.

From the moment we got home, I was on a quest to make the best version of this new favourite dish I’d discovered. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it as much as we still do.

So what exactly is mee goreng basah?

I first discovered this dish in Indonesia, but it’s popular in Malaysia and other parts of Asia, too.

Essentially mee goreng (sometimes called mi goreng or mie goreng) is a mildy spicy chicken noodle stir fry with egg and Asian greens and beensprouts and other yummy things.

I’ve called my recipe mee goreng basah because this is a ‘wet’ version of mee goreng. To you and I, all the ‘basah’ part means is that there’s plenty of sauce and other yummy juicy-ness!

One of the things I love about it is that there is a range of textures. So in mee goreng you’ll find:

• fresh and crunchy Asian vegetables
• yummy fried egg noodles
• tasty chunks of tender chicken
• a tangy, mildly spicy sauce (plenty of it in my version!)
• a crispy, crunchy garnish of peanuts, crispy dried onions (my favourite!) and lime segments.

Just slice down the middle of Asian greens like the baby pak choi shown here length-ways, then chop like you would a leek. Then wash really well! It can be gritty!

Why I think this is the best recipe

I don’t claim my mee goreng recipe to be perfectly authentic. Over time I’ve developed it to include all the best things from the different versions of the recipe I’ve seen.

Some recipes include eggs, for instance, so I do too. There are chopped tomatoes in my version, too, for extra juice and taste.

The dish ends up neither too spicy nor too bland. Full of ‘bits’ but with plenty of the comforting noodles, too.

But what really takes this mee goreng basah from good to delicious? Easy – the sauce and the toppings!

This is one of those dishes that everyone has a slightly different version of.

The sauce

I used to be afraid of long lists of ingredients in Asian stir fry recipes. I still am – a bit – but luckily the sauce in this recipe only contains 6 ingredients + water.

The sauce contains a sticky, sweet version of soy sauce called kecap manis. Don’t worry, it’s easy to find in major supermarkets. I also include… wait for it… tomato ketchup in my version of the sauce!

There’s also light soy sauce, a bit of chili sauce – not too much, and oyster sauce.

Lastly, I add a sneaky tablespoon of peanut butter. Just because.

Remember, as this is mee goreng basah, which roughly (very roughly!) translates as very saucy, I make sure there’s just the right amount of sauce.

The toppings

Oh, the toppings. They are not optional. They really aren’t 😉 They are just as important as all the other ingredients to get that perfect flavour explosion in your mouth.

This is what I recommend:

• crushed peanuts
• dried onions, which you can usually grab in the supermarket (if not, it’s well worth hunting them down in an Asian shop!)
• lime segments to squeeze all over just before eating

Oh, and I suggest adding more of the toppings as you eat. Just trust me on that!

How to make it

Like with any stir fry, I find it’s best to get all the ingredients washed, chopped and otherwise prepared before starting to cook. You can even do some of the prep ahead so that it’s a super fast meal when dinnertime comes around.

The prep will take a little while – 15 to 20 minutes. But then it’s just a case of throwing everything together in a wok or other big pan.

There are really only 5 main steps to the recipe:

Step 1: Cook the egg. Cook it like a big flat omelette. Then roll it up, chop it up, and put it aside. Easy.

Step 2: Cook the chicken with yummy garlic and ginger. At the same time, you can be cooking your egg noodles, which only takes a few minutes.

Step 3: Throw in the greens, noodles, and the sauce.

Step 4: Add the rest of the ingredients – so chopped tomatoes and egg, and the beansprouts. Add a drizzle more water to keep it nice and ‘saucy’.

Step 5: After serving into bowls, sprinkle with the delicious toppings. Grab your chopsticks and eat!

What kind of noodles to use

This dish is made with egg noodles. I usually use medium sized egg noodles – so neither super thick nor super skinny.

But really it’s up to you. You can even use a different type of noodle like wheat or rice noodles if that’s what you have.

Sometimes I buy fresh noodles, called Hokkien noodles in the supermarket I go to. Other times I buy dried egg noodles. Again, it really doesn’t matter.

The only important thing is to use less than half the weight of fresh noodles if you’re using dried. For example: Use 400 grams or 14 ounces of fresh noodles but only 170 grams or 6 ounces of dried noodles.

Make the recipe your own

I’ve already told you that I took a while to refine this recipe to make it my own.

Mine’s an egg noodle stir fry with chicken, but you could make yours a shrimp, pork or beef mee goreng. Or you could skip the meat and add tofu or more vegetables if you prefer.

My stir fry is just mildly spicy, so add more chili sauce if you like to feel the heat. The world’s your noodle!

More easy Asian meals

• 15 minute Thai basil pork stir fry (delicious!)
• This 20-minute chicken and cashew nuts is another quick and easy Chinese takeout classic!
• Perfect Thai chicken and butternut squash curry (On the table in 40 minutes and makes a TON. We ALWAYS have some of this in our freezer!)
• Sticky and delicious 15 minute Shanghai chicken
• This easy chicken katsu curry is one for crispy chicken lovers everywhere, and there’s even an air fryer option!
• Or take a look at all my Asian recipes.

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