Mee Goreng

Mee Goreng is a local Singaporean dish and has a few variations on it. There's a Malay version, a Chinese version and an Indian version. This one here is the Indian Mee Goreng and it's a recipe that my grandmother got from her good friend. My family have been using this recipe for years now and it's one that i enjoy making and eating very much. I've tried making it in different ways, however, this is still by far my favorite. "Mee" in the Malaysian language means noodles and "Goreng" mean fry giving us the name of this dish, fried noodles. It's such a simple dish but the sauces used in the noodles give it a unique flavor. I usually make it without eggs, but if you'd like it, it's something you can add to the noodle when you pan fry them. Here's the recipe:)


~ Ingredients ~

1 packet Fresh Egg Noodles ( Taiwanese egg noodles , available at Ranch 99)
2 medium size onions sliced up
1 packet Chinese spinach chopped, ( i use choy sum, it has yellow flowers )
1/2 cup cubed fried tofu
1 small can of Peas
1 1/2 tsp Green chili, ginger and garlic masala
3 serving spoons of Tomato ketchup
3 serving spoons of Chili sauce ( available at Chinese market)
3 serving spoons of soy sauce
3 serving spoons of Ketchup manis (sweet soy sauce, available at Chinese market)
1 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste

(Noodles are spicy so adjust the chili to you taste)
~ Method~

1) In a large pot, stir fry chopped Onions in some oil until light golden pink.
2) Add Masala, Chili Powder, salt and turmeric and cook for a min.
3) Add in Tomato ketchup, chili sauce, soy sauce and ketchup manis. Stir everything and let it cook another min.
4) Add in tofu cubes, peas and spinach. Cook till spinach wilts a little. Than add in the fresh egg noodles and stir until all the ingredients are mixed in.
5) Taste the noodles and if more salt and spice is required, add some chili powder for spice and some salt .
6) Take a flat pan and pan fry mixed noodles lightly with a little bit of oil in batches.
Note: If you like eggs, scramble 1 egg 1st and than add the noodle to pan fry.
Mee goreng is now ready to eat!!! Yum Yum!!

Picture courtesy of Jigar Champaneria

Mee Siam

For those of you who have been to Singapore, the food you've had there is something you'll never forget. The authentic local food has it's own unique flavors and ingredients. Because the majority of the population consist of the Malays,Chinese and Indians, you can imagine all the different flavors you'd get. This dish here is actually a Malaysian dish and depending on where you have it, can be made with soup or without the soup. I however like it with the soup. It's a spicy and tangy soup with peanuts and because the noodle used in Mee Siam are rice noodle, it's light on your stomach. Traditionally, this dish is made with salted and fermented soy beans called Tao Cho and it also has belachan which is a shrimp paste base. I however make it without the soybeans and shrimp paste since i have friends who are vegetarian. So flavorful yet simple and it still taste just like it should. In Singapore, you can have Mee Siam even for breakfast or for an afternoon/evening snack. Since i have a 15 month old, and a few of my dear friends have kids around the same age, we have play date Thursdays. And it's just great because not only do the kids get to enjoy and play, the parents get to look forward to lunch and having a good time a well. Every week, whoever that's hosting the play date will make a delicious lunch for the 3 to 4 of us that are there. So it was my turn a couple of weeks ago and this is what i choose to make. Here's the recipe: ( This recipe makes for about 6 to 8 ppl )

~Ingredients~
7 Red Jalapenos
7 cloves Garlic
3 small onions
3/4 cup ground peanut

~Garnish For Noodle Soup~
cubed fried tofu
chopped green onions
Boiled egg

~Method~
1)Blend Jalapenos, garlic, onion and ground peanut in a food processor until it's a fine paste
2)In large pan, heat up 1/4 cup oil and saute the paste for about 10 mins. Stirring every few mins.
3)Remove 3/4 of the paste and put it in large pot to make the soup. With the remaining 1/4 paste, add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1tbsp ketchup and 1 tbsp chili sauce and some salt to taste. Mix everything together and let it saute over medium heat for 2 mins. Turn it off and let it cool.
4)Make a packet of Rice noodles and mix the cooled paste into the cooked rice noodles. Make sure rice noodle are not over cooked. Warm it up in the Microwave just before serving.

(You can get rice noodles at the Chinese market. I like to use the thin, fine rice noodle. Any brand is fine.)

~Soup Method~
1) Add 4 cups water to the paste in the pot and bring it to boil.
2) In the mean time, add 2 tbsp brown sugar, chili powder, salt, some lemon and 1/2 cup finely ground peanuts.
3) Bring the soup to boil. Soup should be spicy with a bit of sweetness and sourness. Let it boil for about 5 mins .
4) Put some rice noodles in a bowl, top it with some chopped green onion, tofu and sliced boiled eggs. Pour hot soup over and serve.