Home

Mei Goreng

Submitted by adriana on Thu, 21/07/2011 - 14:19

mei goreng.jpg gf.jpgThis recipe comes from our good friend Muthiah who very kindly has adpated the recipe to be gluten free.  This is an Indonesian dish, which is a meal in itself, containing  noodles, meat (either beef or chicken), prawns, vegetables and egg.  As most good cooks, Muthiah's approach to cooking is to adjust the recipe as she is making it, knowing when to add a little bit more or a little bit less.  I've tried to write down as clearly as I can amounts required, but I think it will be as Indonesian tradition dictates, for the individual to add their own little touches.  This makes a great supper dish, or as part of a buffet.  In our household we have it for breakfast and although it takes a little bit of time to prepare, it is well worth waiting for.

Yield

Serves 6-8

Preparation time

45 minutes

Ingredients

Pre-cooked rice noodles*
3 Candle Nuts (you can use macademia nuts instead)
4 large shallots, peeled and chopped into quarters
5 cloves of garlic
200g raw prawns
2 chicken breasts (you can use thighs if you prefer)
2 eggs
white pepper
salt
sugar
gluten free soy sauce
Sunflower or Corn oil
2 spring onions
2 large carrots

Directions

Most Indonesian dishes start with a paste, which is composed of three main ingredients.  These are shallots, garlic and candle nuts. I haven't seen candle nuts in the UK, but I am sure they are available from Asian shops.  If you can't find them, then use a few Macademia nuts instead.  You will need to use a blender to make the paste.  If you've got a Thermomix- you can make the paste in seconds!

To make the paste

candle nuts jpeg gf.jpgPlace the candle nuts (or macademia nuts), the shallots and the garlic in the blender with about 4 tbs of oil.  Blend until they are a fine white paste.  You can add a little water if the paste is too thick, but it must be completely smooth.  You can make the paste in advance.  Store it in a clean jar and it will keep for a few weeks.

spice paste.jpg gf.jpgPut the paste in a wok (no oil is required) and slowly bring up the heat, so that the paste starts to cook but doesn't scorch.  Continue to cook the paste, giving it a little stir every once in a while.  Keep an eye on it as it can scorch quite easily.  The paste is cooked when the colour changes from white to a creamy, slightly golden colour and smells fragrant.

carrots julliened.jpg gf.jpgWhile the paste is cooking, prepare the vegetables and meat.  Cut the spring onions into small pieces, using some of the green stalks.  spring onion and garlic.jpg gf.jpgPeel the carrots and cut into thin strips.  Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces. If you are using ready cooked noodles, rinse them in cold water and leave them to drain in a colander.  If you are using dried noodles, follow the cooking instructions on the packet.  It's best to slightly undercook the noodles so that they retain their texture in the final dish.

When the paste is cooked, add the chicken.  Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is just cooked through.  Then add the raw prawns and give it a stir. Add a little water to the wok so that the paste and the chicken and prawns combine a bit.  You can add some water to whatever remains in the blender, and put this into the wok to add a little more flavour.  Simmer the paste, chicken and prawns for a few seconds and then add the carrots and raise the heat  to high.  After a few minutes add the chopped spring onions.  When the carrots are just cooked, turn the heat off completely.  The mixture should not be watery.

Add the noodles to the wok along with a good sprinkle of white pepper, a tablespoon of salt and about 3/4 of a tablespoon of sugar.  Add a good dash of gluten free soy sauce and then carefully mix everything together and turn off the heat.

To prepare the egg strips

Whisk the eggs with a little salt until frothy.  Lightly grease a medium sized skillet and heat until fairly hot.  Add a little of the egg mixture and swirl around to make a very thin pancake.  This will cook in seconds.  Flip onto a board and then roll up tightly. Cut into strips using a sharp knife. Continue this process until all the egg mixture has been used up.egg strips 2.jpg gf.jpg

To serve the Mei Goreng, place everything in a large serving dish and top with the egg strips.  Serve slices of cucumber alongside and let everyone help themselves to soy sauce.  If you are lucky to have some home made fried shallots, then sprinkle these on top.  I'm not sure what the equivalent of Bon Appetite is in Indonesian, but I will find out and get back to you. 

 

Notes

In Indonesia as in many other Asian countries, MSG is a common ingredient in cooking.  Many people find that they get headaches or feel unwell after eating MSG, so Muthiah's super  tip is to substitute a mixture of salt and sugar to get the right balance of flavour without resorting to this additive. 

Kecap Manis, another commonly used condiment  is used a lot in Indonesia.  It is a very thick. sweet soy sauce which adds a distinctive flavour to Indonesian food.  Sadly it does contain gluten, so unsuitable for use in gluten free cooking.  Muthiah's dad is on the case and she will report back as to what adjustments we could make to get the same intensity of flavour without using the traditional Kecap Manis.

Thank you to Sue from the Coeliac Message Board who has kindly sent me this link. http://www.westcountryspice.com/shop/

West Country Spices supply both GF Hoisin Sauce and GF Ketjap Manis.  I couldn't see Ketjap Manis on their product list, but have left a message with customer services to find out where it can be purchased.  I think they supply some of the supermarkets including Waitrose.