Mamak fried noodles

delicious. tips

1. *”My Wok Clock is such a simple and practical tool – a way of reminding yourself to be super-organised in the kitchen,” says Jeremy. “Once you’ve prepared all your ingredients, arrange them around the plate in the order in which you’ll need them, beginning at 12 o’clock and working your way around the plate clockwise.”

   Homemade sambal (makes 550ml)
   1 Soak 10 dried red chillies in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain and chop. Mix 1 tbsp tomato purée, 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 90ml kecap manis and 1 tsp salt in a bowl with 120ml water.
   2 Chop 10 large red chillies, 2 red onions, 2 lemongrass stalks, 1 thumb-size piece galangal or ginger, 6 garlic cloves, 6 macadamia nuts (optional), 1-2 tsp belacan or toasted shrimp paste (vegetarians can use 2 tsp ready-made crispy fried onions), then whizz with the soaked chillies to a smooth paste in a food processor.
   3 Heat 5-6 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium heat, then add the paste. Reduce the heat to low and fry for 8-10 minutes until it turns a dark orange or brown. Stir in the liquid ingredients, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sambal stops steaming and starts to sizzle again. Keep scraping the bottom of the wok every so often to create a ‘chilli jam’ underneath the oil. Transfer to a sterilised jar, seal and leave to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

2. Buy deep-fried tofu pieces (aka tofu pok or tofu puffs) in Asian stores or at Longdan.