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Delightful plate of flavorful slurpy noodleS

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Yellow Egg Noodles drenched in thick, sweet-spicy gravy,  Mee Jawa (爪哇面) is a very popular noodle dish in the Southeast Asia region, especially Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. The flavorsome thick slurpy broth of Potato and Sweet Potato, slightly tangy from Tomato Paste and wonderfully heightened with spicy Chili Sambal is the essence of the dish. Along with a handful of toppings of Bean Sprouts, fried Tofu (Bean Curd), hardboiled Egg, crispy Fritters, and roughly crushed fried Peanuts delightfully round up a scrumptious, comforting dish - nothing short of complexity and spectaculars. Believed to have been introduced by the Javanese Malaysian community during the early 19th-century, it has since gained immense popularity. Here's The Viand's take on "Mee Jawa (爪哇面))".

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Delightfully slurpy complex flavorsome noodleS 
drenched in a complex spectaculars thick broth.

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Wonderfully topped with a series of contrasting texture ganishinG 
toppings of Bean Sprouts, fried Tofu (Bean Curd), hardboiled Egg, crispy Fritters, and roughly crushed fried Peanuts delightfully round up a scrumptious, comforting dish.

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RɛsɪpI
Mee Jawa (爪哇面)
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Ready : 2 hrs[ Prep : 30 mins † Active : 1 hr 30 mins ]
Serves : Individual portion
Generic : DeepFry/Simmer/Blanch
Difficulty : Tedious Printable Recipe

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IngredientS

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• Noodle – A bunch of fresh Yellow Egg Noodles.
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• Chili Sambal – A handful of  - Soak Dried Chilis, Shallots, Red Chilis, soaked Dried Shrimps, A few cloves of Garlic, a small knob of Ginger/Turmeric (Yellow Ginger or substitute with power) and 1 stalk of Lemongrass (just the white part). Blend to paste.
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Broth
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{ There are two processes in preparing the Broth - a clear Prawny base-stock (Alternately, U can simply use water) and then the final product of the thick Broth. }
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• Prawn Based-stock – Half a teaspoon of crushed Peppercorn. Roughly chopped Chicken carcass/or any Meat bones and Prawn Shells/Heads. A small block of smashed Ginger and a few cloves of smashed Garlic. A stock of Parsley root/stem.
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• Final Thick Broth – One medium size Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes (boiled and peeled). Some Cornstarch mixture as thickening agent if necessary.
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• Broth Seasoning – The all-important pre-prepared Chili Sambal, Salt, Sugar a tablespoon or two of Tomato Ketchup (preference) and finely grounded Fried Peanuts (U can substitute with a tablespoonful of Peanut Butter).
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Vegetarian Fritters
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• Cabbage, Red Carrot, Red Chilli, Onion, all shredded. Sliced Scallion and Parsley. A mixture of Self-rising Flour and Cornflour. A pinch of Salt, Sugar and White Pepper. Enough Water to create a think flowy batter. Btw, some like to add a small prawn on top of the Fritter.
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• Toppings – A bunch Bean Sprouts, Fried Tofu (a piece for each serving), Hardboiled Egg (1 for each serving, sliced), small handful of cooked cube Potatoes (optional), fried sliced Shallots, crispy Fritter (a piece for each serving) and roughly crushed fried Peanuts (optional), Calamansi Lime and shredded Iceberg Lettuce (optional).
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** Note : Just a dash/pinch of everything, if U prefer a stronger intensity of an ingredient/spice flavor, simply add a little extra of that ingredient/spice - no rocket scientific measurement here. Always taste your Seasoning !!! The trick is NOT the exact measurement, the trick is "to taste the Seasoning" and get ur preference balance of flavors !!!

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InstructionS

{ Don't let the number of elements and tedious preparations discourage U. Leaving authenticity aside - there are certain elements that can be omitted and/or The VianD will point out ways to get around the tedious preparation which will make life a little easier (very much less time) 😅. What is presented here is as authentic as it can be and all cooked from fresh, thus, the tediousness. However, the great thing is, [pretty much everything can be prepared in advance, thus making this is a great dish to serve in a small gathering in a buffet-style setting with all the elements laid out for the guests to assemble the dish themselves. Btw, if U follow the organized Steps laid out below, U'll be fine. What's a little work for a scrumptious, comforting meal, right? 😋 }
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Preparing the Broth
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{ U can skip this completely and just use water which obviously, be less flavorsome but save U a lot of time. }
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• First get the Broth going cos preparing it takes some time in simmering. Wash and drain the Prawn heads/Shells thoroughly. On medium/low heat, in a large Pot, saute the Peppercorn and smashed Ginger/Garlic till aromatic with a generous amount of oil – this is what gives U that lovely orangy hue on top of the Stock. Add the Prawn Heads/Shells and Rock Sugar, continue to saute till everything turned orangy reddish, caramelized and aromatic.
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• On medium/low heat, add water (amount depends on how much Stock U wants). Add the Parsley roots and Chicken carcass, bring to boil. Skim off top-foam as U go along. Turn heat to low and let it simmer for at least 45-mins. Halfway thru, pushed and break/smashed the Chicken carcass/Prawn Heads and Shells with some kind of soup Ladle – to help get some extra flavors extraction. When the Stock is done, sieve thoroughly. Your pot of a clear golden reddish yellow and subtle prawny aromatic broth is ready. Keep aside. U can do this in advance. Btw, a little trick – Stock kept overnite tends to be more flavorful.

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Preparing the Crispy Shallots, Fried Peanuts and Tofu
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{ Now, If U live in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, U can easily buy pre-fried Peanuts (or omit totally) and Tofu (from Indian/Malay eateries). Then U simply deskin the Peanuts and grind a portion to power (add to the Broth) and another roughly crushed (sprinkle as topping), For the Tofu U can simply slice them. This will save U time on deep-frying two elements. }
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• Meanwhile, heat up a considerable amount of oil on medium/low heat. Start by frying the sliced Shallots until golden brown and crispy. Set aside to drain off excess oil.
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• With the same oil fry the Peanuts till golden red. Set aside to drain off excess oil. When the Peanuts are cold enough to handle, deskin them and grind a portion to power (add to the Broth or U can substitute with a tablespoonful of Peanut Butter) and another roughly crushed (sprinkle as topping). Set aside.
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• With the same oil, fry the Tofu till golden brown on the outside. Set aside to drain off excess oil. When cold enough to handle, simple slice to abt 1/4-inch thick.

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Preparing the Fritters
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{ Again, If U live in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, U can easily buy pre-fried Fritters in many Indian/Malay eateries. U can then simply slice them. This will save U quite a bit of time for this third element. }
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• First, mix all the Fritter Ingredients thoroughly. Then add the Flour and water, little by little to form a thick flowy batter.
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• Then, heat up the same oil that was used to fry the Tofu (add more if necessary, Fritter needs to be completely submerged) on medium heat. To test if the oil is ready, simply stick a chopstick into the oil, if it starts to bubble, it's ready. Use a Ladle (about 100 ml capacity) as a mould. Dip the Ladle into the hot oil to let it preheat for about 1 minute. This is important else the batter will stick to the Ladle.
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• Then scoop some batter (almost full but nothing over-flowing) into the ladle, making sure U get bits and pieces of everything. Quickly but gently lower the Ladle back into the hot oil to let it sit and fry. The batter should set and detach itself from the Ladle, if it doesn't, gently use a chopstick or a fork/spoon to help the detaching. After detaching, continue to fry until both sides are nicely golden brown and crispy. Preheat the ladle each time before you fry each fritter. Do not overcrowd. Set aside to drain off excess oil.

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Preparing the Sambal Chili and finishing the Broth
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• First, start by getting a pot of water boiling and steam the Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes till soft.
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• While waiting for the Potatoes to be done, blend all the Chili Sambal Ingredients into a paste. Then on medium heat and a generous amount of oil, saute the spice paste till oil starts to separate to the top and aromatic. Set aside.
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• By now, the Potatoes should be ready to be mashed/blended into a paste. Set aside.
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• Next, heat up the pre-prepared Prawn base-stock on medium heat. Add all the Broth Seasoning Ingredients and mashed Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes. Mix well. Bring to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes. The Broth should thicken considerably. Adjust the consistency (should be on the thick side) to your preference by adding water or Cornstarch mixture.

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Serving
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• When U are ready to serve, simply blanch the Noodles and drain well onto a serving deepen plate. Scoop Broth over the top. Arrange all the Toppins on the side. Voila, ur plate of delightful flavorful slurpy "Mee Jawa (爪哇面)" is ready to be served HOT!

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~~* EnD *~~
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