Whoever created the Mee Goreng Mamak is a God-send. I love the thing – no, let me correct that, I LURRRVVVEE the thing. Mee Goreng Mamak has an intimate relationship with me, and one such romantic moment involved a 10-year old Uja some decades ago on a very hot Ramadan month.
I remembered taking the feeder bus number 225 from Bedok Interchange at around 6-ish in the evening. I was fasting, and obviously running on an empty tank or whatever that was left of my energy on that school day. When you are a kid, you do NOT think of conserving your energy in the day so that you can get through your fast well. Instead, you play and play and play, and run and run and run, and scream and scream and scream until your throat is as dry as the savannah and your body shakes like it is a Sumatran tremor. That was how I felt when I alighted from the bus – and I was literally shaking out of hunger and was so hungry I could not even take the 5 minute walk to my block without feeling like I was floating with wings.
Now to get to my block, I have to pass a kopi tiam that has, among other things, a Mamak Stall. He sells good Mee Goreng, I would not say the best, but you know, red enough and tasty enough for me. I went to the stall, with a bit more than $2 left from my pocket money and bought a packet. My intention was of course to eat it for buka. I continued my walk home.
The moment I entered the lift, I was transported to heaven. The smell of the Mee Goreng Mamak nearly killed me and transcended my senses, and I was so hungry as whiffs and whiffs of the tasty mee entered my smelling faculties. When the lift door opened, I dashed out.
By now, it was 20 minutes to buka time. I was sitting on the floor, the mee goreng mamak in front of me and I was looking at it. Correction, I was STARING at it. Now that the packet has been opened, the aroma from the delicious mee gets stronger.My nafsu gets the better of me, and I took a fork and dip into the plate of noodle. At that point, my mum screamed – ” UJA! LAGI 20 MINIT AJE !!!” after which I retorted “NAK BUKA! NAK BUKA!” and stuffed the fork-ful of noodles into my mouth in seconds before my mum could stop me. It was heaaaveeeenn, I tell you! (God, forgive me for I have sinned. I was 10 then – disclaimer?)
Now that I am an adult, this Mee Goreng Mamak is still tops on my list. It is addictive. Everytime I am abroad, this is the first thing I will buy to satisfy my craving. My cousins know it well.
I married a fellow Mee Goreng Mamak fan too. Ajun, having been away for more than 16 years would wallop plates of these whenever he returns to SG. He has tried asking my mother in law to replicate it in Canada, but he said it has not been successful.
So one day, I bought a plate of Mee Goreng Mamak just so that I can sit and stand in front of the stall to see how they actually made it. I had various discourses (no kidding, it was almost a scholarly debate on what goes INTO the Mee Goreng Mamak) with friends and finally figured it out. So here is my first Mee Goreng Mamak, just so I can cook it in Canada and make myself and my husband happy! Eh they say a happy couple is NOT a hungry couple ok.
The verdict of this homemade Mee Goreng Mamak has been good. It tastes the same, and it looks the same! I am so proud of this dish. You will be assured that’s the first thing I will make when I move. And yes Sherin, I will make it for you too!
Footnote (what else can this be but a footnote right? When it is written at the foot of the article ;): There is only ONE, and I do mean ONE place where the best ever Mamak Sup Kambing is sold. Go to Nazrah’s for the full rundown. Ignore her comments about me, which are all true. Muahahah…
Droooooooooooooooooolz!!!!
i don’t care, i will go to boon keng and get mee mamak together with the sop kambing.
drooooooooooolz…
update on upper boon keng entry is up
tidaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak, oh so tidaaaaaaaaaaaaaak! i have been craving for mee goreng mamak since time began! waaaaaaaaaaah
Bom!
It looks gorgeous your mee goreng mamak… I pun nak lah. Teponlahhhhhhhh kalau ye pun, kita kan sekampong!!!!!
Oni
sib baik im booking a flight home. ko ngan nazrah adalah kawan yang tak boleh pakai sekali…
Ely,dont fret. Its very easy now that we have uncovered the recipe! Nanti aku kasi kau ok…Tak sia-sia pergi spy!
Oni : Aiayaya…nanti Friday we wallop the Mee again la…woooo
Maknenek: I know I know, Nazrah dah kasi warning about u, and I must admit it was me who told her, “takpe , tulis ajer” or something to that effect. Sabar je la kak….
uja, i had to rush through yr entry today for two obvious reasons – one , I couldnt control the drool that will definitely cause damage to the keyboard and two, I wanted to see which mamak that you are having a liasion with. Leave my mamak in penang alone! Mine is the one that pushes his cart around penang and parked himself in front of Ho Peng in Loght Street at 12noon and then 5pm. He wore and still wears a kain pelikat which has seen better days.
So, if you go to Penang – hands off my mamak!
muhahahah kak teh, you think if I bring a new kain pelekat he will divulge HIS secret tak? 😉
Ok ok, hands off Uja, nanti Kak Teh mengamuk sampai Singapore dia datang dengan penyapu 😉
Btw, read Sup Kambing entry at Nazrah’s…woooo macam nak beli lagi sup tu!
uja, I have had a second read of yr entry and God forgive me for I have drooled! I refer to your claim of academic discourse on your obsevation of the execution of the mee goreng and I beg to differ and even dispute your peretensions that it was even academic! You were merely there to ogle the mamak, you mamak stalker!
and now on a more serious note – my and i repeat my mamak would very gently and expertly squeeze a bit of lemon while the aformentioned mee goreng was still frying in pan, wiped his lemony hands on his kain pelikat which explains the technicoloured nature of the material and proceeded, with the same hands to tabur kacang goreng tumbuk – there you go – my mamak has style!
battle of the mamak stalkers?
catfight huh? *snarl*
Yummmm……!!! I cannot wait to test your mee goreng…. but first must buy some boon keng mee goreng, and do a blind taste test.. to see if yours is up to standard 😉 hehe (11 days to go… wooohoo!)
alamak, kena blind-taste test??
KakTeh, can I borrow that Mamak from Penang pls?
uja!!!!! sekarang dah dapat the ‘secret ingredient’ from the mamak, bolihlah bukak restaurant kat Mission nanti. Oh don’t forget kecek the recipes for beefsteak & mee kuah too!
HAhah Mak Labu! Aku tau nanti kau mesti gesa aku suruh buat Mee Goreng Mamak tu untuk next Great Surrey Summer BBQ!
HAntar gambar latest Labu and Labi pls…rindu pulak dengan budak handsome tu!
mak aiii…sodapnyo!!
if u ever go to alor setar, try the mee mamak at the mamak shop@the pokok cherry. Don’t know the real name of the shop. We call it Pokok cherry. It’s opposite the district hospital! Sedap nak mampus. The cucur udang fried with the mee is crunchy and so tasty! YUMMM!