Mum’s Kitchen: Mee Goreng (Spicy Fried Noodles)

still experimenting with my new cam, Lexis

so far he is doing awesome

capturing that kind of crispiness

I have always been longing for

and the power to capture

at the right moment

 

but not me,

I am not a deserving owner

still figuring out about ISO and stuffs

hence the photos as below

were extra-ordinarily rectangular

captured at the aspect of 16:9

they looked weird

then I realized..

there’s a dial nearby the lens

meant for adjusting the aspect of photos

 

ok.. sorry

this is mum’s kitchen

not mum’s studio

 

get back to the topic of the day

Mee Goreng

literally translation: fried noodle

word of caution

but it is understood as

spicy wok-fried noodle back here

 

a typical Malaysian Mamak Stall food:

spicy, a variety of ingredients, high-calories

 

I am not a noodle-lover

usually I will specifically order vermicelli

due to loads of reasons

mainly health-related

 

the fresh yellow noodles,

which is the lead ingredient for Mee Noodle (obviously)

are usually oily

and the vibrant yellow colour looks scary enough

wondering what am I swallowing in

 

on top of that

some yellow noodles actually taste bitter

due to the excessive chemical compound in there

not too sure, it should be some sodium

 

ironically

I am OL-ing for a noodle manufacturer now

wonder if my boss is eating

the very noodles he produces

and can I request for a factory visit

well….

I promise

no photos and no blogging

(as if….)

 

hence I stopped eating noodle long ago

pretty close to the same time

as I stop eating instant noodles too

 

ok..

I know I am getting like a nagging nanny

 

but Mee Goreng is the few kind of

unhealthy delicacies

where the yellow noodle is

very much not-substitutable

it just doesn’t taste the same

if it’s vermicelli

 

on ton of that

it held loads of childhood memories

this is the one kind of food

that I vividly remember

about my primary school canteen

 

surviving in a big school

with a huge canteen is not an easy life

still remember how the lady boss

came out from the kitchen

holding a huge plate of Mee Goreng

chopsticks in one hand

shouting: Hot! Hot! Hot!

the spiciness was fast evaporating from the noodles

 

as everyone rushed in front

without any civilization

no queue no nothing

all we know is

we must grab a plate of the noodles

with a 50 cents coin holding high up

hoping that the auntie will take the coin

hence in exchange for a plate of savoury noodles

 

how coward yet civilized people like me

always lost out

ended up buying bread or cake

 

and yes

it was served on alternate days

adding more preciousness and craving for it

 

during Standard Three

there is a mother of a classmate of mine

who always hanged around the canteen

serving home-cooked food or some other delicacies

to her precious son

(it was already banned, for mothers and grandmothers

to enter school compound as they like it ..

they are only allowed to passed the food via gate or fence)

 

so what we did is

on the specific day when Mee Goreng was available

asking the mother to buy on behalf of us

if the noodles were served early

so when the time-for-break bell rang

running to the canteen

plates of Mee Goreng were already served

 

it guaranteed seats for us at canteens too

told ya

surviving in a non-subsidized yet huge school

is not an easy life

throughout the year

we were standing while eating

too little benches and tables

too many students

 

therefore it’s a good thing to ban

those mothers visiting the children

as they like it

half of the time

they occupied half of the already-insufficient benches

 

back to the Mee Goreng story

I used “We”

yes.. during Standard Three

I had this Mee Goreng gang

a guy

I still remembered his name

*shy shy to mention*

never see him for ages

yet he is still staying 1km in the vicinity

of the same neighbourhood

 

we used to compete

who can finish the Mee Goreng

in the shortest time

and sometimes to make the competition tougher

we would scoop in two spoonful of chilies

then you can hear the aunty

busy serving the Mee Goreng crowd

shouting: Stop taking the chilies!!!!   

 

not that we were greedy folk or something

they shouted this to practically

every miserable child who took the chilies

for chicken rice, fried vermicelli… everything

then they switched to

using those shallow metal spoons

you couldn’t scoop much, could you?

 

after competition

a glass of icy cold 10 cents orange juice

with loads ice,

mixed from cheap syrup

but at that age who cares

 

one big gulp

instant cooling effect down the throat

clashing into the spicy sensation

 

Mee Goreng

this is how memorable it is…

 

and the only Malay neighbour

we had been visiting

during Hari Raya

served the best Mee Goreng

I have ever tasted

 

eating Mee Goreng

in an attap house

with veranda

right on the floor

is equally memorable

 

the attap house is already gone

replaced by a 9-storeys apartments

we still keep in touch with the family

after that

they moved into a low-cost flat-unit

with only two rooms

for the family with 3 daughters and

an adult son

very much in need of more space

 

finally glad that they moved into

a new single-storey terrace

not too long ago

holding the very first wedding of the family there

 

I got out of the topic

way too many times today

memories from the past

good old times

but isn’t it a good thing that

I have a lot to talk about

rather than being all empty

good memories will last for life

 

back here

so this is how

after all these years

I still fancy Mee Goreng

despite the fact that

I no longer eat yellow noodles in any other form

 

Sunday brunch @ 10.30 am

Sunday lunch-tea @ 3.30 pm

featuring Mee Goreng

 

finally

ladies and gentlemen

here you are

 

The Secret Weapons:

#1 Home Made Grinded Chilies

wanna know what’s in there??

Mum's Kitchen - Homemade Sambal

 

#2: Minced Dried Baby Prawn

we call this Udang Kering (Dried Prawn)

in Mandarin 蝦米 (Prawn Rice)

it gives that sea-food fragrance

 

#3 Bean Sprouts

these seemingly insignificant skinny sprouts

don’t ever look down on them

Mee Goreng just doesn’t taste the same again

it must be thrown into the wok during the very last minute

after everything is already quite cooked

just to make sure that the sprouts

“mingle” around evenly

half-raw juicy and crunchy bean sprouts

balance out the spiciness

can I use the word: refreshing?

 

#4 fresh lime

they are not meant for decoration only

squeeze them with all your might

and sprinkle the fresh lime juice all over your noodles

before you start feasting on the

mouth-watering hot and spicy noodles

with a tinge of refreshing lime

 

see you around

on my food channel again

sinfully…

I have these for two of my meals

and Nasi Lemak for dinner

here, once again

my weekend detox plan was blown off