Indonesian Recipes (Bali, Java) - Noodles with Meat and Mushroom Ragout (Mie Babah) Recipe

Ingredients

• 500 g/18 oz thin egg noodles

• 250 g/9 oz cabbage, or alternatively spinach

• salt

• pepper

• 3-5 drops sesame oil

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the ragout:

• 2 pork cutlets or chicken breast fillets

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 handful mushrooms

• 1 handful ebi (dried shrimps) or fresh shrimps

• 2-3 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 1 bunch spring onions (scallions)

• 1/2 cup chicken stock (broth)

• 1 tablespoon kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)

• pepper

• 2 tablespoons groundnut oil

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Method:

1. Cook the noodles as usual in boiling salted water, drain and add the spices and stir. Blanch the vegetables and add to the noodles.

2. Peel the garlic, cut into slices and fry in peanut oil. Cut the meat into small cubes and add to the garlic in the pan. Fry briskly.

3. Then add the mushrooms, ebi and oyster sauce as well as the spring onions, cut into rings. Pour over the stock. Reserve some spring onions for the garnish.

4. Season with pepper and soy sauce. Put the noodles in a large bowl and pour the ragout on top. Garnish with the remaining spring onions.

5. This is served with the dried radish preserve tong cai, chili preserve and mixed pickles.

Note: Unusually for Indonesia, this dish may be eaten with chopsticks, a fact that reflects the Chinese influence. In this region food is traditionally eaten with the fingers of the right hand or with a fork and spoon; the spoon plays the part of the fork in the west, being held in the right hand to carry the food to the mouth.