I have been wanting to work on the Curry Mee recipe and am glad that I finally got down to it.

So, what is the difference between Curry Mee and Laksa?  In my opinion, both terms describe the same thing: noodles in curry. We know that laksa is not laksa if it is not noodles and if the broth has no curry in it.

Just that this version which we normally call "Curry Mee" in Malaysia  has a lighter broth. In my version, I omitted coconut milk.

In a nutshell, Curry Mee broth is a combination of meat broth (or stock) and sambal. In this version, I used some prawns and added the shells go into the broth. I also added some tamarind slices for the sour flavour. I also used oil from chicken fats and skins to make the sambal.

There are actually many times of Curry Mee. You can also use pork bones for the stock. Add some coconut milk if you like. Omit using daun keeping if you prefer a sweeter broth. Just get the general idea of how to make curry mee or laksa and you can improvise as you please.

This is not something you will want to make for your daily dinner. But if you are expecting many relatives or friends in a gathering, this great for such occasions.

Making the Broth

Ingredients:
2 kg of chicken bones and parts
1 tsp of salt
1 kg of medium size prawns

Peel the prawns. Reserve the meat for garnishing. Fry the shells and heads till they are golden. Heat up about 6 laters of water and simmer the chicken bones and prawn heads/shells for 2 hours. If you are using pressure cooker, an hour will do.

Making the Sambal

Making the Sambal

Ingredients
To blend
10 pieces of garlic
20 pieces of shallots
10 buah keras (candlenut)
1 inch of turmeric or 2 tsp of turmeric powder
1 inch of blue ginger
2 tbsp of belachan

2 tsp table salt
3 tsp sugar
4 tbsp of chilli paste
2 tbsp of light or chicken curry powder
4 stalks of lemon grass (smashed)
2  tamarind slices (daun keping)
1 bowl of chicken or vegetable oil

Blend the ingredients. In a wok, heat up the oil and add the paste. Add salt, sugar, chilli paste, curry powder and the lemon grass. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Boiling the prawn shells and chicken bones

Preparing the Bowl of Curry Mee

Ingredients
Yellow Mee
Rice vermicelli (bi hun)
Bean sprouts

For garnishing
Mint leaves
Strips of Chicken meat
Tau pok (fried bean curd puffs)
Lime (kalamansi)

Strain the broth. Add the sambal paste and stir the broth. Leave some of the sambal paste for dipping. The broth is done. Add the fried bean curd.

In the boiling broth, blanch the chicken meat til it is cooked. When cooled, tear into strips.  Likewise, blanch the prawn meat.

Next, soak the rice vermicelli (bi hun)  in warm water for 15 minutes. Blanch the mee, bi hun and bean sprouts. Add the curry soup. Garnish with chicken strips, prawn, tau pok and mint leaves. Serve with some sambal and lime on the side. If you like, add some slices roast pork as a garnish. It goes very well with the sambal.

The finished broth