Mee Goreng

1. Assemble the Sambal paste ingredients in a food processor. Blend the ingredients to a paste adding a little water if required. Once the paste is blended to a fine texture then it’s ready. In a large wok or a large fry pan add a ¼ cup of oil and when the oil is hot then add all of the raw sambal paste and start frying for a good ten minutes. Keep on frying for a further ten minutes or so until the oil from the cooking floats up to the surface, this will be a good indicator that the sambal is nearly ready. Test the seasoning and adjust accordingly before removing it from the fry pan and reserve for cooking with as well as a condiment.
2. Have the noodles blanched in some hot water and drain it in a colander until needed. Cut the tofu puffs in halves or into chunks and have the prepared ingredients ready to start frying (Goreng) the noodles.
3. Return the same wok/frypan onto a med high heat. Place roughly 2 tablespoons of oil and return approximately 100g of cooked sambal to the pan with the carrots and capsicums. Stir fry for roughly 30 seconds then add the prawns to the pan and stir and cook roughly for a minute. Add the drained noodles to the frypan plus all the sauces in this list. Cook on high heat and stir fry all the noodles to blend the ingredients for 3 to 5 minutes until the noodles are well coated and heated through. Finally add the bean sprouts, stir for another minute and it’s ready to be served.
4. With the remainder oil, fry the eggs to a soft centre to top-off each serving of noodles.
5. Garnish with chopped spring onions and crispy fried shallots and coriander as desired with the remaining sambal for that extra kick. Finish the topping with a wedge of lime.

Ready bought sambals are readily available these days for this dish. Blachan is optional for this recipe but blachan/shrimp paste is readily used in most Malaysian dishes and it is best cooked in open spaces and not confined to enclosed areas because it has a very pungent smell that increases during cooking, the smell can actually be quite unbearable for some people, but afterwards the flavour is fantastic. Candle nuts are often used in many Malaysian cooking as well, it has a wax-like texture apart from its subtle flavour it also thickens the sauce slightly. Candle nuts can also be used in the making of the sambal but it depends on its availability, however it is much more accessible nowadays than when I first arrived in the West in the 80’s. I have used mild chilies here but add more bird eye chilies (aka ‘chili padi’ as Malaysians call them) for their extreme heat!

Enjoy!