Instant curry-flavoured Maggi noodles stir-fried mamak-style with egg, fried tofu and greens in a sweet-savoury sauce. A cult late-night order alongside roti canai, born in and named for the mamak stall.
Maggi goreng mamak is instant curry-flavoured Maggi noodles stir-fried mamak-style, a cult late-night order alongside roti canai. The dish is named for and born in mamak stalls, where the practice of repurposing packaged instant noodles into a stir-fry with the curry seasoning packet and the signature mamak sweet-chilli-tomato sauce trio is exclusive to Indian-Muslim eateries. It is the late-night staple of the mamak stall, ordered with a teh tarik.
Springy instant noodles slick with a sweet, savoury, slightly spicy sauce, studded with egg, tofu and cabbage, the curry seasoning giving a faint warmth. Eaten late at night, it is comforting, salty and intensely moreish.
The Maggi noodles are boiled just to soften, drained, and tossed with the included curry seasoning packet, which is the flavour base. The wok is heated smoking hot, the egg, tofu and vegetables are stir-fried first, then the seasoned noodles go in with a splash of soy, tomato ketchup and chili sauce, the mamak sweet-savoury-spicy trio. The high wok heat and quick tossing give the smoky wok hei breath that defines the dish.
Variations
A spicier version adds more chili paste. Some stalls add prawns.
On the Palate
Where Maggi Goreng Mamak sits in the Malaysian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 2How it's made
6 steps · 10 min
- 13 min
Boil 2 packets of Maggi curry noodles in water for 1.5 minutes (undercook); drain, reserving the seasoning packets.
Watch outBoil the noodles only 1.5 minutes and undercook them — they keep softening in the hot wok, so cook them soft now and they turn to mush.
- 23 min
Mix the seasoning packets with 1 tbsp each of thick soy sauce, tomato ketchup and chili sauce; toss the noodles in it.
- 32 min
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a smoking-hot wok; fry 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 bird's-eye chili 30 seconds.
- 43 min
Add 2 beaten eggs and scramble, then 100g fried tofu cubes and a handful of shredded cabbage; stir-fry 1 minute.
- 52 min
Add the seasoned noodles and toss over high heat 2 minutes until the noodles are coated and smoky.
Watch outToss over the highest heat, keeping things moving — that fierce heat and quick tossing is what gives the smoky wok breath.
- 62 min
Serve hot, garnished with sliced spring onion and a fried egg on top if liked.
