Mie Sedaap Mi Goreng
The Mie Sedaap tagline “Jelas Terasa Sedapnya” translates to “clearly tastes good”.
Surprisingly, this is the first review of Indonesian instant noodles on this website. Which is surprising, because they are one of the most consumed instant noodle varieties on this planet and they also include some of my favorites.
Did you know that Indonesians are actually the number 2 in the world when it comes to the total consumption of instant noodles? They take that place just behind China, which isn’t a surprise, given the involved population differences. If we are looking at per capita consumption, then Indonesia still ranks third, only behind South Korea and Nepal. Indonesia comes in with 46.8 consumed instant noodle dishes per year per person. That’s almost one per week!
Mie Sedaap is the instant noodle brand of Wings Food, which is an Indonesian consumer goods conglomerate. Behind Indomie, the clear number 1 in the Indonesian instant noodle game, Mie Sedaap is number 2 in the Indonesian market, followed with quite some distance by Sarimi and Supermi.
Compared to Japan, it looks like Indonesians clearly prefer soupless instant noodles, comparable to yakisoba. Indonesian yakisoba style noodles are called mi goreng, which translates to “fried noodles”, exactly like yakisoba.
Mie Sedaap Mi Goreng comes with quite a lot of different sachets for a rather simple dish.
Content
For how simple the preparation is, Mie Sedaap Mi Goreng comes actually with quite a lot of different packs and sachets, which look overwhelming at first. But the preparation could not be easier, since you just have to mix all of them with the prepared noodles. Most likely, they are kept separate for quality control, easier portioning and cross-contamination, which could impact the shelf life of the product. In detail, we find the following components, from left to right, starting with the noodles on top:
Classic fried noodles, woven into a noodle brick
Bawang goreng is dried fried shallots, best added last as final topping
Kecap soy sauce, which adds a sweet soy sauce flavor
Chili sauce, a bit milder than I would have expected.
Minyak, which is vegetable oil infused with burned garlic flavors
Bumbu powdered seasoning, which provides some complexity and flavor base
Please note that none of those are really optional. If you don’t add one, don’t be surprised if it does not taste as good.
Cooking instructions on the packaging of the Mi Goreng.
All the seasonings simply need to be combined.
Add the freshly drained noodles on top of the seasonings and start mixing.
Preparation
The preparation is pretty straightforward and easily explained with pictures on the packaging, which you can see above this text. But let me break the preparation instruction down for you:
Bring at least 400ml of water to a boil. It does not actually matter how much more you add, essentially you can eyeball until you think the noodles will be covered.
Boil the noodles for 3 minutes
Meanwhile, on a plate or in a bowl, mix all of the contents the packages and sachets.
Drain the water from the noodles.
Add the noodles to the seasoning mix and stir well.
Optionally, add a fried egg or other toppings.
Thoroughly mixed up noodles with all the seasonings coating the noodles.
Review
Let me be upfront: There is a good reason why mi goreng instant noodles are such a bestseller. They have so much going on: salty, sweet, rich, savory, spicy - and all of it in spades. It is a great base to add further things on top, even if it would be fresh and unseasoned veggies. The sauce has enough flavor to incorporate less flavorful components that would add some freshness, crunch or further richness. Probably very few people eat these noodles with zero additional toppings.
The criticisms I have for this are mainly towards the noodles and the missing toppings that would make it a whole dish. As not uncommon for noodles from the outside of Japan or Korea, the noodle quality leaves something to be desired. But I am guessing that affordability is of greater concern than perfect chew and bouncy texture that non-fried modern instant noodles can bring to the table. I really would love to get my hands on a pack of this with different noodles or I might just try combining the seasonings of a pack of Mi Goreng with fresh noodles from my local supermarket here in Japan, just to see what could be.
In terms of flavor, I would maybe wish for a bit more spiciness, which I think the Indomie product has. Therefore, if you are searching for a less spicy variant of the Indomie Mi Goreng, then the Mi Sedaap Mi Goreng is the right choice for you. However, if both are available, I will probably grab the Indomie version off the shelf, as it has a bit more impact in my eyes. But don’t get me wrong, this is great instant noodles.
“Mi Sedaap Mi Goreng is close to the Indomie Mi Goreng gold standard and a viable alternative, just with a bit less spiciness. To enjoy it fully, you should have an egg and other toppings at hand.”
8 out of 10
