Every morning, Malaysians rushed to grab breakfast at the local bakeries, roadside stalls or at Mamak. More often, groups of people queuing to buy breakfast from roadside stalls is a common sight.
Besides Nasi Lemak, I especially enjoy having a pack of 'Mee Siam Goreng' or spicy stir-fried rice vermicelli. By the way, if you are interested in 'Mee Siam Basah' which is another version (with soup), send in your request!
'Mee Siam Goreng' is more often sold by the Malay community. Siam was the former name of Thailand. I guessed the flavours represented in this recipe are adapted from the classic taste of Thailand. Usually, tamarind is used to add a hint of sourness to the rice vermicelli. However, I opted to use some fresh lemon juice instead.
Make a big batch of the blended spice
Blending spices can be such a task although cooking mee siam goreng doesn't take up much time. Hence it's always better to prepare a big batch of the spices. The spices may be blended before hand or even kept frozen until it is needed. Even if the blended spices are frozen, it does not need to be thawed before using. Steps as such do help to save some time especially if you are in a rush.
This dish is spicy. How to reduce its spiciness?
To reduce the spiciness of the dish, soak the dried chillies in warm water and remove the seeds along with the membranes. See how it is done Step 1 of the ‘How to Prepare’ section here. With some spices and fermented bean paste, a simple yet flavourful stir-fried rice vermicelli can be easily prepared in minutes.
Which sambal condiment to serve with mee siam goreng?
Mee siam goreng is delicious on its own. Then again, we never say no to extra sambal in the dish. There is a huge variety of sambal to choose from but I highly suggest savouring the noodles with the common nasi lemak sambal, just like how it is sold by street food vendors. If you are looking for a simpler sambal, try out sambal kicap. It's fast and easy to prepare.
