Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Pan fried noodles are a staple across Asia and several varieties have become quite popular in the west. There are many more varieties of noodle dishes in addition to the popular pad thai from Thailand and Chinese chow mein, and many more pass under the radar on North American restaurant menus.

An amazingly flavorful and simple dish originating from Indonesia is the famous mie goreng (pronounced mee gor'Ang). In Indonesia and Malaysia, it is a common street food as well as a dish which is served in restaurants in elevated forms alongside satay, vegetable crackers and vegetable curry.

Lucky for us, most ingredients can be found in nearly all North American grocery stores and the main component is the humble package of ramen noodles. Yes, the very same ones that you can buy 3 packages for a dollar. Seasonings and inclusions are up to you dear chef, but another key ingredient is called kecap manis or sweet soy sauce in English. If you have a hard time finding this ingredient, simply mix soy sauce with sugar at a ratio of 1:1.

For one serving

1 package ramen noodles

1/2 cup green peas

1 carrot shredded

1/4 cup fried shallots (available at most Asian grocery stores)

1 scallion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 inch knob of ginger, chopped

1 teaspoon lemongrass powder

1 teaspoon Sriracha or sambal (Indonesian hot sauce)

4 teaspoons kecap manis (or 2 teaspoons soy sauce mixed with 2 teaspoons sugar)

Water for boiling

Oil for frying

Method

Boil water and add ramen noodles. Cook as directed on package. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process. In a wok or frying pan, heat a drop of oil and combine peas, carrot, scallion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass and saute for 2 minutes. Add the noodles and toss together with Sriracha and kecap manis. Garnish with fried shallots.

Image from flickr.com