Chicken Mee Goreng

Name: Chicken Mee Goreng
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 100g potato, peeled, diced; 225g fresh Hokkien noodles; 2 stems choy sum; 6 green onions, sliced on the diagonal; 1 piece fresh hard bean curd, diced; 2 tablespoons Sambal Goreng, plus extra for serving; 1 tablespoon kecap manis; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; ¼ cup water; 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil, or more if needed; ½ brown onion, cut into slivers; 150g chicken thigh fillet, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3cm); 1 egg; ½ lime

Mee goreng is pure Singapore! The name means fried noodles in Malay, but it has its roots in the Indian community. Noodles aren’t common in Indian food, but this is the Singaporean Indians’ take on the stir-fried noodles of their Chinese compatriots – often with some Western tomato sauce thrown in. Thick fresh yellow wheat noodles are traditional and chilli and kecap manis (thick dark sweet soy sauce) complete the multi-cultural melange. Chicken mee goreng is messy, lightly spicy, salty and sweet/sour and you can adjust the seasonings and the ingredients to suit your taste. Just remember the noodles are the star, so don’t overload them! Sambal goreng is easy to make (see video below), but if you don’t have any, add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic with the chicken and add a tablespoon of chilli paste (such as sambal oelek) mixed with a tablespoon of tomato ketchup instead of the sambal goreng. Try a full-bodied white wine with your chicken mee goreng, like the Copper Verdelho from Tempus Two in the Hunter Valley, it has a hint of tropical fruit and a good zesty finish to cut through this rich dish.

Serves 2

Ingredients

100g potato, peeled, diced
225g fresh Hokkien noodles
2 stems choy sum
6 green onions, sliced on the diagonal
90g fresh hard bean curd, diced
2 tablespoons Sambal Goreng, plus extra for serving
1 tablespoon kecap manis
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ cup water
2½ tablespoons vegetable oil, or more if needed
½ brown onion, cut into slivers
150g chicken thigh fillets, skin off, diced
1 egg
½ lime

Method

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add potato and boil for about 8 minutes, until just tender then drain well and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, put noodles in a colander, rinse under warm water easing them apart with your fingers. Set aside to drain well.
Separate choy sum leaves, cut any large ones in half and slice the thick end of any stems.
Place in a bowl with green onion, bean curd and cooled potato. Set aside.
Combine Sambal Goreng, kecap manis, oyster sauce and water. Set aside.
Line bowls of ingredients up beside the stove in the order they’ll be added to the wok.
Heat wok over high heat.
Add half the oil then onion and stir for 2–3 minutes, until lightly coloured.
Add chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until opaque all over.
Add remaining oil then noodles and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add potato, green onion, bean curd, choy sum and Sambal Goreng mixture and stir for a further 2 minutes or so until everything is well combined and heated through.
Push to one side of the wok, crack in egg and scramble for 30 seconds or so, until almost set.
Toss to combine well with noodles.
Serve chicken mee goreng immediately with lime and extra Sambal Goreng or chilli paste on the side.