Growing up, lunch on Saturday typically consisted of a quick fry-up by mom before she proceeded to do the housekeeping or marketing for the week. I have fond memories of waking up to all sorts of Mee Gorengs (Fried Noodles) or Nasi Gorengs (Fried Rice) - utilizing all of the week's leftover ingredients and ready in 30 mins.
One of my favorites was when she mix-fried laksa noodles with yellow egg noodles. The result is a super duper slurpy dish, absorbing the flavors of her signature homemade sambal (chili paste). THIS said sambal can be used for both the rice or noodle dish, is super versatile, and can usually be found in the freezer of all seasoned home cooks. It was my first attempt at making a batch, partly because I just opened my blender that's been in storage since we moved, and found it so so easy.
This dish tasted EXACTLY like how mom made it, which to say the least, was a major milestone for me. I added mutton because my husband loves mutton, however you can make it vegetarian, seafood or whatever meat you like!
Recipe serves 5 - 6 people. 10 mins prep time, total cook time approximately 20 mins.
INGREDIENTS
1 packet 420g laksa noodles (soaked in hot water for 10 mins)
1 packet 420g yellow egg noodles (soaked in hot water for 10 mins)
1 packet bean sprouts
2 cups green leafy vegetable
200g minced mutton
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
For the sambal
150g dried chili (soaked in water)
2 medium red onions
5 cloves garlic
1 inch belachan
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Blend all the sambal ingredients. Add a TINY bit of the water the chilis were soaking in bit by bit to get the blender going.
2. Stir fry blended sambal mixture. This recipe gives you a huge bowl of sambal. You can freeze the remainder to use for future mee or nasi gorengs.
3. In a pan, heat oil and add sliced onion and garlic. Fry until fragrant and slightly brown.
4. Add mutton and stir fry until cooked. Press down on the mutton while cooking to ensure it is minced up. Salt & pepper to taste.
5. Add 5 tablespoons of sambal and 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup.
6. Add 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce and 2 tablespoon oyster sauce. Stir and combine everything.
7. Add the leafy greens and combine with mutton mixture. If you feel there is not enough 'sauce', you can add more sambal mixture here.
8. Add laksa noodles and yellow egg noodles. Stir and combine everything. Salt & pepper to taste.
9. Once noodles are well combined, add beansprouts. Increase heat and stir until it is half cooked. It will continue cooking in the heat.
ALY'S COOKING TIPS
1. This sambal mixture has been passed down by my mother and her mother. It's a secret weapon in the kitchen that can be frozen for up to 3 months, and used to cook loads of QUICK meals such as all sorts of mee goreng (fried noodles), nasi goreng (fried rice) and even put on top of baked fish and wrapped in banana leaf.
2. I cook in approximations and rarely follow a recipe in full. Therefore, I urge you to taste as you go and add or reduce the sauce quantities in this recipe. If you think it is too spicy and there's too much sambal, you can add more tomato ketchup to balance out the taste.
3. Since the sambal uses belachan, I find that I BARELY used salt in this recipe as it was already salty enough. Having said this, please add salt when cooking your mutton, or whatever meat you are using for this dish.
4. Beansprouts are completely optional however it adds a crunchy bite and balances the spicyness so I highly recommend it. Add it in the last step ensures it's not soggy and overcooked, and retains it's tart for texture.