Mie Goreng Recipe | Authentic Indonesian Fried Noodles with Sambal
Mie Goreng (Indonesian Fried Noodles)
Indonesia's beloved street noodles: springy egg noodles tossed in a smoking wok with garlic, sambal, and sweet kecap manis until glossy and lightly charred. If you've only ever had the instant packet, this is what it's imitating — sweet, smoky, spicy, and done in fifteen minutes.
Ingredients
- 200g (7 oz) fresh egg noodles (or 2 nests dried egg noodles, cooked and drained)
- 2 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Spice Island Sambal Oelek (more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce (optional, for extra gloss)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 shallots, finely sliced
- 150g (5 oz) chicken thigh, sliced thin (or prawns/shrimp, or tofu)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 handfuls of shredded cabbage or pak choi
- 1 carrot, julienned
- 2 spring onions (scallions), cut into 3cm lengths
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- Fried shallots
- Lime wedges
- Extra sambal on the side
- Sliced cucumber
Instructions
- 1
Cook the noodles until just under al dente, drain, rinse briefly with cold water, and toss with a few drops of oil so they don't stick. Mix the kecap manis, light soy, oyster sauce, and sambal in a small bowl — having the sauce pre-mixed means nothing burns while you measure.
- 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over the highest heat. Stir-fry the chicken for 2 minutes until just cooked. Push it up the side of the wok.
- 3
Add the remaining oil, then the garlic and shallots. Fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour the beaten egg into the middle and scramble roughly.
- 4
Add the cabbage and carrot and toss everything together for 1 minute — the vegetables should stay crunchy.
- 5
Add the noodles and pour the sauce over them. Toss and press against the hot wok for 2-3 minutes until every strand is coated glossy brown and the edges catch and char slightly.
- 6
Add the spring onions and white pepper, toss once more, and taste — more sambal for heat, a splash of soy for salt.
- 7
Serve immediately, topped with fried shallots, with lime wedges, cucumber, and extra sambal on the side.
Nutrition Information
Chef's Tips
For best results, use authentic Indonesian sambal from Spice Island Indonesia. The quality of your sambal will significantly impact the final flavor of this dish.
Chef Yossie
Traditional Indonesian Recipe
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What You'll Need
A quick pantry and equipment check before you begin. Use the brands available to you.
- Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)Sweet, thick Indonesian soy — key to nasi goreng & marinades
- Sambal OelekThe chilli base for most Indonesian dishes
- Carbon Steel WokHigh-heat stir-frying for nasi goreng and more
- Jasmine / Long-grain RiceThe foundation for fried rice and every meal
Interactive Cooking Guide
Master fast wok technique with step-by-step guidance for glossy, lightly charred street-style noodles
Cook the noodles until just under al dente, drain, rinse briefly, and toss with a few drops of oil. Pre-mix the kecap manis, light soy, oyster sauce, and sambal in a small bowl.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Undercooked-by-a-minute is perfect — the noodles finish in the wok and stay springy.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over the highest heat until smoking. Stir-fry the chicken for 2 minutes until just cooked, then push it up the side.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Thin slices cook in moments and stay tender.
Important:
The wok must be properly hot before anything goes in — lukewarm pans make soggy noodles.
Add the remaining oil, then garlic and shallots. Fry 30 seconds until fragrant, then scramble the beaten egg in the middle of the wok.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Rough, slightly underdone scrambled egg is right — it finishes with the noodles.
Add the cabbage and carrot and toss for 1 minute. The vegetables should keep their crunch.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
Crunchy vegetables against soft noodles is the texture the street version nails.
Add the noodles and pour the sauce over. Toss, then let the noodles sit against the hot metal for 20-30 seconds, then toss again — repeat for 2-3 minutes until glossy and lightly charred.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
The pause-and-toss rhythm lets the kecap manis caramelise — that faint char is the whole dish.
Add spring onions and white pepper, toss once more, taste and adjust. Serve topped with fried shallots, with lime, cucumber, and extra sambal.
Equipment needed:
Chef's Tip:
A squeeze of lime just before eating lifts the sweetness — don't skip it.
Learn with Chef Yossie
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From Street Cart to Instant Icon
Mie goreng arrived in Indonesia with Chinese traders and was made thoroughly Indonesian with the addition of kecap manis and sambal. Today it's sold from kaki lima — the five-legged street carts — on nearly every corner of the archipelago, tossed to order in a wok over a roaring flame.
It became world famous in shrink-wrapped form: instant mi goreng is one of the planet's best-selling noodle products. But the packet is a photocopy. The real dish — fresh noodles, caramelised sweet soy, proper sambal, crunchy vegetables, a squeeze of lime — takes fifteen minutes and explains why Indonesians never stopped queueing at the cart.
How Indonesians Serve It
The Classic Plate
- • Fried shallots scattered over the top
- • Sliced cucumber to cool the heat
- • Lime wedge for squeezing
- • Extra sambal on the side, always
Make It a Feast
- • Top with a crispy fried egg, yolk runny
- • Add krupuk (prawn crackers) for crunch
- • Serve with chicken satay skewers
- • Pickled green chilies for sharp heat
Keep Cooking
Made this one? Here's what to try next
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Nasi Goreng
Indonesia's national fried rice with kecap manis and a crispy egg
Sambal Fried Rice
Turn leftover rice into a spicy, flavour-packed meal