I got Mum’s Pasta Goreng from my mum and still have the ugly, hand-written recipe I wrote as she relayed it to me through the phone. I remember calling her as a panic-stricken, newly-married 20-something with a group of relatives coming to visit my new matrimonial home for Raya. Thinking about it, I may have dashed out to get a wok to cook this because I didn’t have one and come to think of it, didn’t have many other things to cook with!
Mum’s Pasta Goreng is always a hit, never a miss!
This is pasta done in traditional Malay style complete with yummy rolls of thin omelette as garnish! Use any type of short pastas such as penne or macaroni, I’ve used fusilli here. You can never go wrong feeding a bunch of people, whether for Ramadan, Raya or for any other get-togethers, this one-wok dish.
What I love about it is mum’s addition of fennel seeds into the spice mix. The seeds give a beautiful fragrance that is both savoury and inviting! On top of that, this dish can be enjoyed at room temperature making it perfect for picnics. I often eat this leftover cold, straight outta the fridge because I roll like that. 😉
Quick Iftar Meals: Mum’s Pasta Goreng
Ingredients
500g packet of dried pasta, cooked
- Wet Spice Mix
15 dried chillies, de-seeded and softened in hot water
10 small shallots
1″ ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
300g baby corn, sliced
1 can chopped tomates
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
500g sliced beef
2 1/2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp corn flour
500g prawns, shelled and deveined
- Garnish
3-5 eggs
Spring Onions
Chinese Celery
Fried shallots
Directions
- Cook the pasta in generously salted water till al dente according to packet instructions and immediately drain. Rinse pasta under cold, running water until cool. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil and put aside.
- Season sliced beef with 1 ½ tbsp soya sauce and 1 tbsp of corn flour. Massage and marinate the beef for a few minutes. Sear sliced beef in a hot wok with some oil until almost well done. You can do this in 2-3 batches. Remove from heat and set aside.
- De-seed the dried chillies and pour some hot water to soften. Put all ingredients for the wet spice mix into a blender and blend with some water until smooth. Using the same wok, heat up ½ cup of oil and fry the wet spice mix with the tomato paste until fragrant for about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the sliced carrots and prawns and toss them for a minute or two. Pour out all the chopped tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and some sugar. Keep tossing and add the rest of the ingredients: baby corn, seared beef and cooked pasta. When thoroughly mixed, taste and adjust seasoning by mixing in about 1 tbsp soya sauce and some water to moisten. Remove from heat.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl with some salt and whisk the eggs. Using a small frying pan, heat up some oil on low heat and pour some beaten eggs and spread across the pan to make a thin omelette. After a couple of minutes, roll the omelette and remove from the pan. Continue with the rest of the beaten eggs. Slice the rolls crosswise and use these to garnish Mum’s Pasta Goreng along with spring onions, Chinese celery and crispy fried shallots. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make my mum’s pasta goreng! Don’t forget to tag me when you do try out this recipe!
Deliciously Yours, Mel!
