Ingredients

150g Beehoon (rice vermicelli)

150g seafood e.g. prawns, calamari, mussels or Tofu puffs

100g bean shoots

100g choy sum (optional)

2 tablespoons sambal (ready-made)

1 tablespoon ketchup manis

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

2 dried chillies chopped

Fresh chilies for garnish (optional)

2 tablespoon cooking oil

1 beaten egg

Fresh coriander for garnish (optional)

Light soy sauce (optional)

Method

Re-hydrate and soften the rice vermicelli by soaking it in either boiling water quickly within minutes or if you have more time in cold water but it will take longer to soften and drain. Decide if you’d like this dish to be a vegetarian, vegan,  seafood or meat dish. If using tofu puffs (vegan) then cut them into bite size cubes.  On high heat in a wok or a fry pan add the oil and when hot add the dried chilies, the meat or tofu and stir and cook for roughly a minute, but longer if meat is used instead of seafood or tofu. Now add the vegetables, noodles and all of the sauces and sambal except the garnish and the egg. Stir and cook for approximately 2 minutes then stir through the beaten egg and cook till the egg is set for roughly a minute. The recipe is quick when cooked on high temperature however if it starts to catch or burn at any time reduce the heat or simply add little boiling water to loosen the mixture from the base of the pan, unless cooking in a non-stick pan which will make it easier. Check the seasoning if needed add some light soy sauce as necessary. Serve garnished with the coriander and chilies.

Variations and My Story

This is an easy dish so why would you bother with 3 minute packaged manufactured noodles? Bought sambal of various brands will differ in flavour and salt content greatly. Use a brand that you are familiar with for a reliable result, or, if you are able to use my own sambal relish, then you will know what my own recipe tasted like. In ‘method’ I said to use light soy sauce if necessary, hence the reason why.

Quite often the egg is made into an omelette instead of stirring it through the noodles, I like it either way. Another name for this dish is ‘Mamak Mee’.  Mi Goreng can be spelled in may different ways but the word Mi, Me, Mee means the same as in ‘noodles’.   Rice vermicelli is known as Beehoon in Malaysia and it is essential in any Malaysian household because it is consumed daily for breakfast, lunch or dinner. My childhood favourite was Mi Goreng wrapped in banana leaves with extra sambal on top to mix it in when eating from the local Hawker store. Those were the days when the Petronas Twin Towers didn’t exist instead loads of street level Hawker stalls with an amazing variety of delicious food!