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Midin goreng
Midin goreng: Sarawak's crunchy jungle fern stir-fried with garlic and chilli
Midin is a wild fern that grows in Sarawak's forests, with curly tips that stay crunchy when cooked, and Kuching restaurants serve it at almost every meal. The best-known version uses belacan (shrimp paste); just as common, and what this is, is midin fried hard and fast with plenty of garlic and a little chilli. Outside Borneo, fiddlehead ferns are the nearest match, and young pea shoots or asparagus tips make a good everyday stand-in. Chef's tip: fry in a very hot wok and serve in under 3 minutes; ferns lose their snap quickly.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Wash 10 ½ oz midin or fiddlehead ferns well and shake dry. If using fiddleheads, boil them for 4 minutes first and drain; they must not be eaten raw.
5 minStep 2: Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil, then 5 cloves garlic and 1 red chilli and stir for 20 seconds, until the garlic is just golden.
1 minStep 3: Add the ferns, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp sugar and toss over the high heat for 1 minute. Splash in 2 tbsp water and toss 1 minute more, until bright green and glossy but still crunchy. Common mistake: covering the wok; the ferns steam and turn olive-dull and slimy. Serve at once.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does midin goreng take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of red chilli?
- Green chilli, same amount (same heat, greener taste).
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