Mi goreng is traditionally made with yellow wheat noodles, stir-fried with chopped shallots, onion, and garlic with soy sauce seasoning, egg, vegetables, chicken, meat, or seafood. However, other versions might use dried instant noodles instead of fresh yellow wheat noodles. A common practice in Indonesia is the inclusion of powdered instant noodle seasonings, along with eggs and vegetables. Authentic mi goreng uses fresh ingredients and spices; however, bottled instant spice paste might be used for practical reasons.[7]
The almost identical recipe is often used to create other dishes. For example, bihun goreng is made by replacing yellow wheat noodles with bihun (rice vermicelli), while kwetiau goreng uses kwetiau (thick flat rice noodles) instead.
Some mi goreng variants exist. In Indonesia, mi goreng variants are usually named after the ingredients, while some might be named after the region of origin.
Mi goreng kerang uses clam. It is a specialty of Batam.[8]
Mi goreng Aceh a mi goreng variant from Aceh province, uses a thicker noodle similar to that of spaghetti and employs a curry-like rich spicy paste.[9]
Mi goreng Jawa from Central Java, employs sweet soy sauce, egg, chicken, and vegetables. In a restaurant, warung, or travelling food vendor, it is usually sold and offered together with mi rebus (lit. "boiled noodle") or mi Jawa.[10]
Mi goreng dhog-dhog also known as Mi goreng Surabaya from Surabaya city. Refer to travelling food cart vendor selling mi goreng Surabaya that uses a large wooden slit drum instead to announce his presence in the neighbourhood, thus creating "dhog-dhog" sounds.[11]
Instant version of mie gorengIndomie Mi goreng the instant version of mi goreng, Indomie Mi goreng is also popular in Indonesia and other countries, notably the Netherlands, Nigeria, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and several Middle Eastern countries.[12] Indomie mie goreng flavour was invented by Nunuk Nuraini.[13] This instant version, however, is not technically goreng (stir-fried), but boiled instead and seasoned after discarding the water used for boiling. Nevertheless, it tries to closely resemble the authentic mi goreng by adding sweet soy sauce and crispy fried shallot. It is commonly found in warung Indomie stalls that sell instant noodles, grilled sandwiches, and hot drinks in Indonesian urban areas.
Indonesians tend to name similar foreign dishes as mi goreng, for example in Indonesia, chow mein is often called mi goreng Cina and yakisoba is called mi goreng Jepang.[citation needed]
