Mee Goreng Mamak

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 ozraw peanuts
• 1/2 ozdried red chilies, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained
• 1/4 ozdried shrimp
• 1 ozdhal (split lentils)
• 1 1/2 tsptamarind paste
• 1 cupwater, for blending the paste
• 1/3 cupvegetable oil, divided between frying the paste and the individual portions
• 8 3/4 ozpotatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 2red onions, sliced
• 4 clovegarlic, minced
• 5 1/4 ozcabbage, roughly cut
• 5 1/4 ozchoi sam, Chinese flowering cabbage, cut into lengths
• 7 ozfried tofu, sliced
• 1/4 cupdark soy sauce, loosened with a little water before frying
• 1 1/8 lbyellow noodles, fresh; boil dried ones to soften first
• 4eggs, one cracked into each portion
• 7 ozshrimp, peeled, a small handful per portion
• 2lime, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. 1

   Heat a little of the oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the peanuts, drained chilies, dried shrimp and dhal until fragrant and lightly colored. Tip them out and let them cool.

2. 2

   Blend the fried ingredients with the tamarind and enough of the water to make a fine paste. Fry it in the rest of the oil over low heat until the oil separates out at the edges and the color has darkened.

3. 3

   Boil the potato chunks until just tender and drain. Slice the onions and tofu, mince the garlic, cut the cabbage and choi sam, loosen the dark soy sauce with a splash of water, and have the noodles to hand.

4. 4

   Heat a little oil in the wok until it is smoking, add a quarter each of the garlic, onion and paste and fry until fragrant, then add a quarter of the shrimp and cook until they turn opaque.

5. 5

   Add a quarter each of the tofu, potato, cabbage and choi sam and toss for half a minute, then add a portion of noodles with a few tablespoons of the soy mixture and stir-fry hard for a minute.

6. 6

   Push the noodles to one side of the wok, crack an egg into the space, scramble it briefly and then fold it through. Turn out onto a plate with a lime wedge.

7. 7

   Wipe the wok out, let it come back up to smoking heat, and cook the remaining portions the same way, starting again from the garlic, onion and paste each time.