This mie goreng recipe is an irresistible dish that features stir fry noodles tossed in a sweet and savory sauce with shrimp and spicy accents. It's popular all across Indonesia and in my kitchen!
Mie Goreng Recipe
If you are a fan of spicy noodle dishes and stir fry noodles in general, this is a recipe to add to your regular rotation. It's called mie goreng, and it checks all the boxes - sweet, spicy, savory, delicious.
And, it's easy to make! You can have this dish ready in 20 minutes or so, including prep time. That's a huge thing for a slow cook like me.
Mie goreng is an Indonesian stir fry noodle dish with egg noodles stir fried in a sweet-spicy sauce. The sauce is a simple mixture of soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and spicy sriracha, something you can whip together at a moment's notice from ingredients you likely have readily on hand.
The dish is hugely popular in Indonesia, served everywhere from the best restaurants to street vendors and everywhere in between, with a clear Chinese influence. You may see it referred to as "mee goreng" or "bakmie goreng", or even "mi goreng," though that is a brand name of instant noodles with similar flavors that you can purchase from the grocery store.
Mie Goreng Ingredients
For the sauce:
- Sweet Soy Sauce - Kecap manis is a sweet soy sauce found in many Indonesian recipes.
- Soy Sauce
- Sriracha
- White Pepper
For the stir fry:
- Vegetable Oil - For cooking.
- Green Onion - Thinly sliced.
- Spicy Red Chilies - Optional, for additional heat. Use red bell peppers for a milder version.
- Garlic - I love a lot of garlic in this dish.
- Shrimp - Deveined, with tails on. You can make this stir fry with other proteins, or go vegetarian.
- Cabbage - Or use bok choy.
- Noodles - I use dried egg noodles, though fresh are great. You can substitute other noodles for this, but egg noodles really make the dish.
- Bean Sprouts
- For Serving - Crispy shallots/onion, red chili flakes, chopped green onion, lime wedges
How to Make Mie Goreng
Whisk. Whisk together the stir fry sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Prep the noodles. Boil the noodles in boiling water according to packaging directions, about 4-5 minutes, until softened. Drain and set aside.
Onions, garlic, chilies, shrimp. While the noodles are boiling, heat the oil in a wok or large pan to medium high heat. Add the green onion, chilies, garlic and shrimp. Stir fry for 30 seconds, or until the shrimp are partly cooked through.
Cabbage. Add the shredded cabbage and stir fry 1 minute to slightly soften.
Noodles. Add the noodles and toss.
Sauce. Stir in the mie goreng sauce and cook, stirring the noodles to evenly coat.
Bean sprouts. Stir in the fresh bean sprouts and serve into bowls.
Garnish and serve. Garnish with crispy shallots or onion, red chili flakes, green onion and lime wedges. Enjoy.
Boom! Done! Your mie goreng is ready to serve! Looks so inviting, doesn't it, a big bowl of stir fry noodles with shrimp? I can't wait to dig into this. Definitely irresistible.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Sauce. The mie goreng sauce is a mix of sweet soy sauce and sriracha, though you should consider that a base. I like to balance out the sweet with a bit of unsweetened soy sauce and add a bit more sriracha. Add in other spicy elements if you wish, or other matching ingredients, like shrimp paste or other chili sauce.
- The Noodles. Egg noodles are perfect for mie goreng, as they are rich, silky and luxurious. They soak up all the flavors of the stir fry sauce. You can use other noodles if you'd like, like wheat noodles, but egg noodles are ideal. You can find versions made with rice noodles.
- The Proteins. I love this shrimp version, but chopped chicken is a great alternative. Just add the chicken when you would add the shrimp. Pork is great as well, and you'll find versions made with beef or goat. Some popular versions are made with egg. You can skip the meats and focus on the vegetables for a satisfying vegetarian version
Storage
Once cooled to room temperature, leftovers of this mie goreng will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2-3 days. I recommend reheating back in the pan over medium-low heat for the best results.
Try Some of These Other Indonesian Recipes
- Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)
- Beef Rendang
- Coconut Curry Laksa
- Sambal Matah (Indonedian Raw Sambal)
- Sambal Terasi (Indonesian Chili Sauce with Shrimp Paste)
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Mie Goreng (Indonesian Stir Fry Noodles)
Ingredients
FOR THE MIE GORENG SAUCE
- 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce kecap manis
- 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
FOR THE STIR FRY NOODLES
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 stalks green onion chopped
- 1-2 spicy red chili peppers chopped (optional, for additional heat)
- 6 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 pound medium shrimp deveined with tails on
- 2 cups shredded cabbage or use bok choy
- 12 ounces dried egg noodles
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- FOR SERVING: Crispy shallots/onion, red chili flakes, chopped green onion, lime wedges
Instructions
MAKE THE MIE GORENG SAUCE
- Whisk together the stir fry sauce ingredients and set aside.
MAKE THE MIE GORENG (STIR FRY NOODLES)
- Boil the noodles in hot water according to packaging directions, about 4-5 minutes, until softened. Drain and set aside.
- While the noodles are boiling, heat the oil in a wok or large pan to medium heat. Add the green onion, chilies, garlic and shrimp. Stir fry for 30 seconds, or until the shrimp are partly cooked through.
- Add the shredded cabbage and stir fry 1 minute to slightly soften.
- Add the prepared noodles and toss.
- Stir in the mie goreng sauce and stir fry the noodles to evenly coat.
- Stir in the fresh bean sprouts and serve into bowls.
- Garnish with crispy shallots or onion, red chili flakes, green onion and lime wedges. Enjoy.
Nutrition Information
Dominic Barber says
how about measures
Mike H. says
You can find them in the recipe card 😉
Jessica says
I love this recipe. I replaced the noodles with shirataki noodles to lighten up the recipe and it is just fantastic. perfect amount of heat!!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great to hear it, Jessica! Thanks for sharing. Very happy you enjoyed it!
linda says
This dish was easy to make, quick and delicious. The only ingredients outside my norm was the sweetened soy sauce and fresh bean sprouts (I think canned would work fine though.)
Personal taste - I included a whole bag (1 lb) of shrimp and cut sriracha to 1.5 Tablespoons. I didn't add any red chili pepper. I'll be making again SOON.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Linda! Thanks for sharing!
Janice Phillipps says
Which size of egg noodles do I use? Yours look thin.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Janice, I have a big selection of egg noodles at a local Asian market for me, but you can use other noodles. These look quite a bit like fettucine. Wider egg noodles work, or just use available pasta noodles. Let me know how it goes for you.
Damien C. says
Another big hit in our home. Definitely going on the regular menu. Thank you.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Damien! Glad you enjoyed it.
Tony says
Nice recipe ! It's callled "Bami" (pron. "bAAh-mee") in the Netherlands, although some noodle brands simply state "Mie" ("mee") on the label. Everyone knows what mie is. It's a staple food here. Needless to say, there are infinite variants and recipes.
Spicy food lovers are encouraged to investigate the treasure grove that is Surinamese cuisine, which, much like Indonesian food, is another happy upside of the not-so-happy Dutch colonial past. I promise you will be amazed, as Surinamese food realies heavily on a cousin of the habenero, the Madame Jeanette pepper, allegedly named after a lady of the night, because of her curves and, ehm, well yeah, hotness.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Tony. I wish it was more available here in the U.S., but luckily we can make it at home! So delicious. Appreciate the info on Surinamese cuisine. Cheers.