How to cook Mee Jawa

Mee Jawa is an Indonesian style noodle soup - another popular Malay noodle dish influenced by the Indonesian island of Java. The soupy gravy is made from fresh prawns and ladled over yellow egg noodles [chow mein]. Slices of potato, tofu [soy bean cake], egg, vegetables and shrimp garnishes the dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg yellow noodles (scalded)
• 500 g beansprout (scalded)

Garnishes:

• sliced green chillies
• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 4 pieces fried beancurd
• fried sliced shallots
• chopped spring onions and celery

Ingredients for gravy:

• 1 cup fermented bean paste (washed and drained)
• 1 cup dried shrimps (geragau)
• 1 cup peanuts
• 6 buah keras
• 1 piece blachan (toasted and pounded)
• 1 cup water
• 4 tbsp flour
• 1/2 cup cooking oil

Ingredients to ground:

• 1 inch ginger
• 1 inch blue ginger (lengkuas)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks lemon grass (serai)
• 30 shallots
• 20 dried red chillies

Method for gravy:

•  Fry peanuts and buah keras in a little oil and blend together with fermented bean paste, dried shrimps and blachan.
• Heat 1/2 cup cooking oil and fry grounded ingredients until aromatic and well cooked.
• Add in blended ingredients from (1) and fry for a few minutes more.
• Add in 80 oz water or stock and let it boil.
• Thicken stock with 1 cup water mixed with 4 tbsp flour and stir until gravy is thick (dilute according to thickness).
• Add salt and sugar to taste.

To serve:

• Mix scalded noodles with some beansprouts and pour some gravy over it. Garnish with egg slices, sliced green chillies, a cut lime, some taupok and fried shallots. Add a dash of black soya sauce.