Mie Lidi Pedas
Jajanan SD: After-School Nostalgia
When the school bell rang in nineties Indonesia, kids didn't walk home—they sprinted to the carts waiting at the gates for a crinkly plastic bag of Mie Lidi. These intensely savory, chili-stained noodle sticks are the taste of pure, unsupervised youth. While the street vendors extruded their own dough, resourceful mothers quickly adopted standard dried spaghetti to pull off this weeknight magic. The real secret, however, is the wet seasoning. By blooming flour and spices in hot oil instead of water, you create a fiery paste that clings perfectly to the noodles without sacrificing a single decibel of crunch.
Ingredients
- standard dried spaghetti1/2 lb
- neutral cooking oil2 cup
- all-purpose flour4 tbsp
- Asian chili powder2 tbsp
- chicken bouillon powder1 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- garlic powder1 tsp
- fresh kaffir lime leaves3 small
Method
- 01
Fry the spaghetti to a pale blonde.
Heat the neutral oil in a wide skillet over medium heat, then fry the broken spaghetti in batches for 2 to 3 minutes until just light golden, removing them before they darken. They will continue to toast from their own internal heat as they drain on paper towels.
- 02
Crisp the aromatics.
Carefully scoop out half a cup of the hot frying oil into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and fry the minced lime leaves for 30 seconds until fiercely fragrant.
- 03
Whisk the waterless slurry.
In a heat-proof bowl, combine the flour, chili powder, bouillon, sugar, and garlic powder, then immediately pour the hot infused oil over the dry mix. Whisk vigorously so the hot fat cooks out the raw flour taste and blooms the spices into a glossy, fiery paste without introducing any crunch-destroying moisture.
- 04
Coat the noodles.
Place the cooled, brittle spaghetti sticks into a large container with a tight-fitting lid, pour the hot spice slurry over them, and shake gently until every single noodle is painted red.
Notes
Embrace the bouillon.
MSG-heavy chicken bouillon is the absolute, non-negotiable backbone of this street food flavor profile; do not try to substitute it with high-end homemade stock.
Adjust the heat.
Street vendors always let kids dictate their own spice level, so feel free to swap the fiery chili powder for a milder smoked paprika if serving a younger crowd.