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Midin goreng

Stir-fried jungle fern

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
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Ingredients

Serves2

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (2)

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Method

0/3 done
  1. Step 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 min
  2. Step 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 min
  3. Step 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.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

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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