Reminiscing About One of My Father's Favorite Dishes

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My childhood wasn't just about playtime; the food and parental affection I experienced left a lasting impression that remains with me into adulthood. The aroma wafting from the kitchen—where my older sisters prepared a dish at my father's suggestion—defined our weekends back then.

Whenever my father had a day off, he would enthusiastically buy all the ingredients and ask my eldest sister to prepare the meal. While others might not have considered it fancy, in our home, it was a hands-down favorite. As time passed, we stopped gathering as often; moreover, my father has long since passed away, leaving this dish as a cherished memory.

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Mie Lidi with Peanut Sauce

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The nostalgic dish that brings tears to my eyes is a preparation of mie lidi—noodles also known as mie gomak or, as we often called them, "Acehnese spaghetti." My sister used to prepare them with a peanut sauce. One unusual ingredient—which I haven't seen in other versions of mie gomak—was the addition of shrimp to the peanut sauce. This is what made my father's favorite peanut-sauce noodles so memorable; the shrimp added a natural umami touch to the sauce.

I am not certain if this recipe is exactly the same as the one my sister used to make, but I know the addition of shrimp will make it delicious—just like the peanut-sauce noodles my father used to request.

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Ingredients

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200 g mie lidi (thin, rigid wheat noodles)
10 g palm sugar
3 lime leaves
300 g peanuts
200 g shrimp
5 red chilies
2 dried chilies
5 bird's eye chilies
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
100 ml thick coconut milk
1 cm kencur (aromatic ginger/sand ginger)
A small amount of sliced kaffir lime (​​makrut lime)

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Preparation Procedure

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First, boil the mie lidi in a pan with enough water until tender.

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While waiting for the noodles to cook, fry the chilies, shallots, kencur, and lime zest in hot oil until softened.

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Wash the peanuts, then fry them in a little oil until golden brown, stirring constantly.

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Blends the fried spices fried (excluding the peanuts) with a little water until smooth. Add the peanuts to the blender and pulse briefly so they remain somewhat coarse.

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Next, sauté one shallot and the shrimp in a little oil, adding the lime leaves.

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Then, sauté the blended spice mixture, add a little water, and stir in the add palm sugar.

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Cook until the mixture dries out and is thoroughly cooked, allowing the liquid in the peanut sauce to reduce.

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Serving suggestion

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Arrange the boiled mie lidi (thin, stick-like noodles) on a serving plate, then add the prepared peanut sauce to taste—I like mine extra flavorful, so I added a generous amount, finally, add the shrimp pieces prepared earlier.

The result truly lived up to my expectations; it has a savory, sweet, and spicy flavor profile, with a distinct umami note from the shrimp. The shrimp broth and peanut sauce seem to meld together perfectly—I absolutely love this combination of flavors. Honestly, it’s irreplaceable; this nostalgic recipe from my father leaves a truly remarkable impression on me.

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Hi Readers and Hivers, Thank you for reading and visiting my posts which are 100% copyrighted by myself, my own content, writings and photos, taken with the Samsung Galaxy A72 Smartphone.

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