Day 25 - Brunei (AS)! Mie Goreng- Fried Noodles - Up Next, Bulgaria

  Carrying on a solo conversation...asking myself what possessed me to stir fry in my broiling  kitchen tonight

and

if you don't believe me...

It's hot today; really hot. Too hot for anyone in their right mind to cook inside. But I'm going for it with a simple vegetarian stir fry because I have 4 "B" countries left to go and damn it, I'm on a mission to get it done if it kills me, which it might since it's 88 degrees in my kitchen tonight. And, if Anthony Bourdain knew what was what, he'd be following my blog to pick up some tips. Call me.

Brunei (Bander Seri Bagawan)(AS): About the size of Delaware, Brunei is an independent sultanate on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea, wedged between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak.  

Brunei gained independence in 1984 and is governed by the constitution and the tradition of the Malay Islamic Monarchy, His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiahthe. 

The life of the average Bruneian revolves around  religion, Islam, with certain things being forbidden (haram), certain things tolerated but not encouraged (makruh) and certain things which fall under the embrace of Islam (halal). The consumption of pork and alcohol are prohibited - it's a dry country as of 1990 when a law was passed prohibiting the consumption/sale of alcohol.

Food in Brunei is very similar to that of its neighbors, Malaysia and Singapore. They are rich and spicy with rice and noodles being the staple food. Brunei is famous for its diverse and great food. 

I decided to make a traditional vegetarian stir fry call Mie Goreng, or Fried Noodles. My vegetarian readers will be happy, and after that heavy Brazilian meal last night, my stomach will be thrilled! So here's what I did...

 

Brown sugar, red pepper flakes, lime, soba noodles, tofu, mung bean, pea pods, onions, garlic ginger...now I ask you, is there any better combination of flavors known to mankind? No? I thought not.

Chop up copious amounts of ginger and garlic and zest a whole lime

 

Stir fry the onions, garlic and ginger in Tamari sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes - no oil!

  

Add the snow peas, scallions and lime zest - Sublime - better than the band

 

Add noodles and tofu 

Dag it's hard to squeeze a lime and snap a picture - but I'm developing mad skillz

  

Mie Goreng

 

Liam diggin' the meal

Mie Goreng - Fried Noodles

Ingredients

• 1 lb Uncooked soba noodles
• 3 tb Low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tb Brown sugar
• 2 ts Crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 c Finely chopped onions
• 1 tb Minced garlic
• 1 tb Peeled & grated gingerroot
• 1 c Snow peas
• 6 ea Scallions, chopped
• 1 t Grated lime peel
• 1 c Mung bean sprouts
• 8 oz Firm tofu -- cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tb Fresh lime juice
• 1/4 c Chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In a large, nonstick saute pan, combine soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add onions, garlic and gingerroot. Cook for 2 minutes. Add snow peas, scallions and lime peel. Toss and cook until peas are tender and bright colored, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add bean sprouts and tofu. Continue cooking and toss just until bean sprouts are slightly wilted. Add noodles and toss to mix. Add lime juice to taste and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Final Assessment: Hot, spicy, sweet, light, imminently satisfying , full of complex flavors, clean that take you to Brunei - A++