Mee Goreng
(Egg Noodles with Shrimp and Asian Greens)
(Egg Noodles with Shrimp and Asian Greens)
Mee Goreng is a stir-fried noodle dish of Malaysia and Singapore that uses fresh Chinese egg noodles. I bought the same brand of fresh noodles that I used when I made curried Chiang Mai noodles, but selected the thicker, Spaghetti-like variety instead of the fine noodles.
My asian green of choice was a pretty flowering boy choy relative labeled only in Chinese at the grocery store. After some internet research, I think this is a variety of choy sum, but I could be wrong.
I cleaned ten stalks of the above vegetable (this involved pulling them apart), chopped them crosswise into thirds, spun them dry in a salad spinner, and set them aside with washed bean sprouts. 
Next I stir-fried the garlic and sweet soybean paste* in peanut oil and then added shrimp.
Once the shrimp turned pink, I added the greens and raised the wok temperature.
After about 2 minutes of stir-frying, I added the bean sprouts.Immediately after, I reduced the heat and added the noodles, warm water, and sweet soy sauce. After soaking up the liquid, the noodles were done and ready to serve.
Unfortunately, I was not completely satisfied with this Mee Goreng for two reasons. First, it was way too oily. If I make it again, I will halve the quantity of peanut oil and see if I can keep the noodles from sticking to the wok. Second, I am convinced that I did not buy the right soybean paste product. To read more on this, see below.*Shopping Diversion: Finding Sweet Soybean Paste
Finding the ingredients for Mee Goreng proved difficult. My problem ingredient was sweet soybean paste. According to James Oseland in Cradle of Flavor: Homecooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Sweet soybean paste is sold under many different names including "whole soybean sauce," "yellow soybeans," "salted soybeans," etc. However, it should not be confused with the darker, Chinese products called "brown bean sauce" or "bean sauce." During my first trip to the store, I saw one jar labeled "sweet soybean paste," but did not buy it because it contained MSG, which I try to avoid. Instead I bought "sweet bean sauce," which had all the same ingredients as the MSG-containing sauce, except for the MSG, of course. However, after some research at home I began to think that my sauce was actually the Chinese version that Oseland says not to buy. I made a trip to the Vietnamese market, hoping to find something better. There was a greater selection, but again, many Chinese products. I wound up buying this:
I'm not sure this was the right sauce for a number of reasons. (1) Like the first sauce I bought, this is a Chinese product, so I may have again bought the type of sauce that Oseland says not to buy; (2) Oseland says Mee Goreng is supposed to be "light" but my Mee Goreng was kind of heavy; and (3) my noodles tasted more like Chinese noodles than any Mee Goreng my dining companion had tried before (my own experience with Mee Goreng is too limited for me to make any comparisons). Oseland says that his favorite brands of sweet bean paste are P. Pra Teep Thong's "soybean paste" and Kwong Hung Seng Sauce. If they aren't too much, I might try to order one of these online and try making Mee Goreng again.* * *
Recipe adapted from Cradle of Flavor by James Oseland.
1 pound precooked fresh Chinese egg noodles, rinsed and ready to go 10 stalks of choy sum or other asian green (about a half a pound)
4 tablespoons of peanut oil 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sweet soybean paste
7 ounces medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
4 tablespoons warm water 2 teaspoons double-black soy sauce
salt & fresh pepper (optional)
1. Prepare the choy sum by washing thoroughly and removing any spoiled leaves. Look in all the crevices because sand hides everywhere in some of these greens. Chop into 3 or 4 inch pieces. Dry the greens with a salad spinner or towel.
2. Heat peanut oil in the wok until it is hot. You can test by throwing in a piece of garlic. When hot, add the garlic and the sweet soybean paste and saute until the garlic is no longer raw but has not begun to change color. Take the wok off the heat if the garlic begins to turn golden, let it cool, and then continue.
3. Add the shrimp to the skillet and stir-fry until they begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add the greens and raise the heat to high. Stir-fry vigorously until the greens begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for another 15 seconds.
4. Reduce the heat and add the noodles. Combine them well with the greens, sprouts, and shrimp, then add the warm water, and soy sauce. When the noodles have soaked up all the liquid, they are ready to serve.
5. Oseland recommends adding freshly ground black pepper, which he notes is tasty though not authentic.
1 pound precooked fresh Chinese egg noodles, rinsed and ready to go 10 stalks of choy sum or other asian green (about a half a pound)
4 tablespoons of peanut oil 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sweet soybean paste
7 ounces medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts
4 tablespoons warm water 2 teaspoons double-black soy sauce
salt & fresh pepper (optional)
1. Prepare the choy sum by washing thoroughly and removing any spoiled leaves. Look in all the crevices because sand hides everywhere in some of these greens. Chop into 3 or 4 inch pieces. Dry the greens with a salad spinner or towel.
2. Heat peanut oil in the wok until it is hot. You can test by throwing in a piece of garlic. When hot, add the garlic and the sweet soybean paste and saute until the garlic is no longer raw but has not begun to change color. Take the wok off the heat if the garlic begins to turn golden, let it cool, and then continue.
3. Add the shrimp to the skillet and stir-fry until they begin to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Add the greens and raise the heat to high. Stir-fry vigorously until the greens begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for another 15 seconds.
4. Reduce the heat and add the noodles. Combine them well with the greens, sprouts, and shrimp, then add the warm water, and soy sauce. When the noodles have soaked up all the liquid, they are ready to serve.
5. Oseland recommends adding freshly ground black pepper, which he notes is tasty though not authentic.
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