Chinese Style Mee Curry

Yup, this post is a 'lil different from my ordinary ones. Why u might ask...Well, recently, via our daily e-mail, a dear dear friend ( who happens to be my roommate during my high school years & who is also someone I always rely on with honest to goodness opinions - much to her dismay!! ) told me that she reads my blog mostly everyday & it is her wish that I update it as often as I could...The moment I read her e-mail, I was like "what other possible things should I ramble about in my blog?!!"...While sitting in front of my laptop contemplating Ms. Gee's request, moments before going to the kitchen to prepare dinner, suddenly I remembered something...When I first started this blog, I plan for it to be a blog where apart from sharing my baking passion, I would also be sharing some recipes...and hey, I haven't shared any recipes yet!!! My bad!!! *Smacking myself on the head!!*

So, to my dear friend, Ms. Gee & my other friends who requested this recipe, here it is...Happy cooking!

CHINESE STYLE MEE CURRY
Printable Recipe

STEP 1 - BASIC PASTE

Blend:-

• 70g dried chillies
• 400g / 8-10 bulb sliced onions
• 130g sliced garlic
• 100g sliced ginger
• 100g sliced lengkuas
• 50g turmeric root
• 100g sliced lemongrass

A note to all, the above paste is actually sufficient for several cooking of the recipe. What I usually do is to store the paste in a container @ plastic & freeze it. It will come in very handy the next time you have the urge to cook mee curry ;-)

STEP 2 - THE BROTH

• Boil 1 litre of water in a pot. Once boiled, add in 1 teaspoon of salt & 2 chicken breast ( You can also use any chicken part i.e legs, ribs etc )
• Simmer the chicken for about 20 minutes & take it out from the pot. Put aside to cool. Once cool, shred the meat.
• In the same pot of water, add in 400g medium size prawns ( don't forget to trim it first! ). Cook the prawn around 5 minutes & take it out. Put aside to cool. Once cool, shell the prawns. Note : As for myself, when I shell the prawn, I usually save the heads. Adding the heads into your broth will make it yummier...
• Leave the broth on the stove over slow fire. If you prefer to add in the prawn heads, add it into your broth at this stage.
• Heat a wok @ small pan over a medium fire. Add in 250ml ( about 1 cup ) of the basic paste and 1 teaspoon shrimp paste ( belacan ). Note : To make sure there's no lumpy shrimp paste in your broth, mix the shrimp paste with a bit of water before adding it into the wok @ pan. Cook until the mixture smells fragrant & the oil separates.
• Once oil separates, add in some curry leaves & 2 stalks of lemongrass. Bring this mixture and add it into the broth. Bring it to a boil. Add in 500ml thin coconut milk. Note : If you like your broth to be thicker, add in more coconut milk to your liking.
• Bring the broth to a boil and add in salt & sugar to your liking. Before you switch off the fire, add in sliced tau pok ( I usually just cut it into half ). Note : Tau Pok = Chinese for Deep-Fried Tofu. This fried tofu, usually in the form of 2 inch cubes, is often sold ready-made packaged in plastic bags. It is chewier in texture, 'puff' like, and floats when  first put in soups or noodle soup dishes. 

STEP 3 - SAMBAL ( CHILI PASTE )

I love my mee curry hot & spicy...So for those who have the same palate as mine, here's my sambal recipe:-

• Heat 4 tablespoon oil in a pan @ wok. Once oil is hot, add in 5 cloves chopped garlic. Fry till fragrant.
• Add in 3-4 tablespoon chopped onions, 1 cup of the basic paste, a bit of shrimp paste & 4 tablespoon of cili boh @ blended dried chillies. Note : You can add or lessen the chillies according to your preferences.
• Cook till the oil separates and add in salt & sugar accordingly.
• To keep this sambal longer,  place it in a container and keep it in the fridge. Note : The sambal is also yummy when you eat it with hot rice! Slurpppp!!

STEP 4 - SERVING

• Place blanched noodles i.e mee or mee hoon in a bowl. You can also use spaghetti, which of course have to be boiled first.
• Pour the broth into the bowl and top it with prawn and chicken. Add in blanched taugeh and long beans.
• Serve it with the sambal. Enjoy.