Skip to content

AI-generated image

Share this recipe

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
One step at a time, big text, timers, read-aloud. Your screen stays on.

Ingredients

Serves2

Shop this recipe on Amazon

What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (2)

Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.

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).

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.

Rate this recipe

Sign in to rate and review this recipe.

LaksamRice noodles in coconut fish gravy

Kota Bharu's morning market has its own noodle: laksam, thick sheets of steamed rice batter rolled up like little carpets and sliced into wheels. They are drowned in a pale, creamy gravy of pounded fish and coconut milk, then heaped with raw herbs and vegetables (ulam): cucumber, long beans, bean sprouts, daun kesum and torch ginger flower, with a spoonful of fiery chilli and budu, the region's fermented anchovy sauce. The result is soft and slippery, rich and cool at the same time. Locals eat it for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack. Chef's tip: pound the cooked fish with the shallots instead of blending it smooth; the gravy should feel faintly textured, like a thin porridge.

by KrazyBadal 1 views

TacachoMashed roasted green plantain balls

Tacacho is the breakfast of the Peruvian Amazon, from Tarapoto to Iquitos: green plantains roasted over coals, mashed with fat and salt and shaped into balls. There it comes with cecina (smoked pork) and is mashed with lard and crackling; this vegan tacacho uses good oil and a pinch of smoked paprika for the same savoury, smoky depth. The balls are dense, chewy and starchy, crisp at the edges where the plantain charred, and they are eaten hot with a fiery chilli sauce or alongside stews. Use plantains that are fully green and firm. Chef's tip: mash the plantains while they are still very hot; as green plantain cools its starch sets and it won't bind into a smooth ball.

by KrazyBadal 1 views

Fagioli all'uccellettoCannellini beans with sage and tomato

Florentines are nicknamed mangiafagioli, bean-eaters, and this is the dish that earned it: creamy cannellini simmered in olive oil with whole sage leaves, crushed garlic and a little tomato. The name, 'little-bird style', comes from the sage and garlic once used to cook small game birds, though there has never been a bird in the pot. In trattorie it sits next to grilled meat as a side; served with crusty bread and greens it makes a full vegetarian supper. The beans should be soft and glossy in a thick, rust-coloured sauce. Chef's tip: let the sage and garlic sizzle gently in the oil before the tomato goes in; that scented oil is the whole flavour of the dish.

by KrazyBadal 0 views
More recipes with:garlicsugarred chilli