Thursday, June 17, 2010

Mamak Mee Goreng (Indian Fried Noodles)

I had a packet of yellow noodles and some fried tofu sitting in my refrigerator a while back, so I decided to try and cook up some Mamak Mee Goreng aka Indian Fried Noodles. Despite it's name, this dish didn't actually originate from India. It was created by the mamak (Tamil Muslims) community who migrated from South India to Malaysia (and other South East Asian countries) centuries ago. Sold mainly in mamak stalls all across Malaysia, the Mamak Mee Goreng has since become a favorite among Malaysians of all races. Here is my version of the Mamak Mee Goreng.
Start off by adding some oil into a wok or large pan. Once it's hot, add in some chopped garlic. Saute the garlic for a bit and when it starts to turn light brown, add in some chili paste. I have only added in a little because we are not really fans of super hot stuff. You can add in a little bit more, if you like.
Next, add in some fried tofu (taukua) that has been cut up into smaller pieces. You can easily find fried tofu in any Asian grocery store. If there are no Asian grocery stores near you, you might be able to find some in the produce section of your local grocery store. They should be by the chilled organic foods section.
After the fried tofu, add in some potatoes that have been boiled and cut up into smaller pieces. Then, in goes some tomatoes (that has also been cut up into smaller chunks). At this point, you can add in some mustard greens (sawi) is you like.
Stir everything together and allow it to cook for a bit. Then, add in some large white shrimp that has been peeled and clean. Apart from shrimp, you can also add in some squid that has been cut into rings.
Once the shrimp is almost cooked, throw in about a handful of yellow noodles.
Then, pour in some sauce to add flavor and color to the noodles. It's pretty easy to prepare the sauce. Just add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce and 3 tablespoons of tomato ketchup. Then, add in some sugar and mix it all together.
Just stir fry everything together for a bit and it's ready to serve! At this point, you might want to add in some beansprouts. Since I didn't have any in hand, I just made do without. If you added in some beansprouts, just stir fry for a little bit longer and you are done. Remember, everything must be fried in really high heat. If not, it won't taste that authentic.
Now, if you would like to add in an egg to your noodles, this is what you should do. Make a hole in the middle of the noodles and add in a tiny bit of oil. Then, crack in one large egg and allow it to cook for a few seconds. Then, break the egg up and scramble it a little. Once its almost cooked, mix it with the rest of the noodles and stir fry everything together. Then it's ready to serve! You can serve the noodles with a few wedges of lime and some fried onions on top. Some people would also sprinkle on some fresh shredded lettuce on top. It's entirely up to you. Enjoy!

2 comments:

Heatherfeather said...

This looks really good. I have some fried tofu siting in my fridge that I need to use up - I might make this.

Charlene n Kevin said...

Thanks!! Ohhhh you should try making this. Remember to tell me how it turned out!! =)