Malaysian Curry Mee with Fried Chicken

Chop 4 shallots, 20g ginger, 20g galangal, 3 cloves garlic, and 1 stalk lemongrass. Place them into a blender with 50ml of water and blend until a smooth paste is formed.

Trim any excess fat from the chicken wings. Cut each wing into two pieces (drumette and wingette), resulting in 6 pieces.

Pluck the leaves from 1 sprig of curry leaves.

Cut 100g of long beans into 3-5 cm pieces. Cut 10 fried tofu puffs (taupok) in half.

In a bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of meat curry powder and 2 tablespoons of chili powder. Gradually add approximately 50ml of water and stir until a thick paste is formed.

Heat 1 cup of cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the halved taupok and fry until they regain their original texture and flavor. Remove and drain.

Add the fried fish balls to the hot oil. Fry until they are golden brown and slightly wrinkled. Remove and drain.

Add the cut long beans to the hot oil. Fry briefly until slightly tender-crisp. Remove and drain.

In a separate pot, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Pour in the blended aromatic paste. Sauté over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the water evaporates and the paste becomes fragrant.

Add the curry leaves to the sautéed aromatics and stir briefly. Then, add the prepared curry powder and chili paste. Continue to stir-fry over medium-low heat until the curry paste is very fragrant and the oil separates.

Add the chicken wing pieces to the pot. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the chicken pieces are coated with the curry paste and change color.

Pour in 800ml of water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes to cook the chicken and allow flavors to meld.

After 10 minutes, remove the cooked chicken pieces from the curry and set aside.

Add the fried taupok and fried fish balls to the simmering curry. Cover the pot and continue to simmer on low heat while preparing the chicken for frying.

Lightly coat the cooked chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of tapioca starch.

Reheat the oil in the wok to a high temperature. Carefully add the tapioca-coated chicken pieces and deep-fry until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain.

Return to the curry pot. Taste the curry and add 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce if desired, to enhance the umami.

Turn off the heat. Stir in 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir gently to combine. Do not boil after adding coconut milk. Cover the pot to keep warm.

In the wok with boiling water, blanch 100g of bean sprouts for a very short time, just until slightly tender. Remove and drain.

In the same boiling water, blanch 200g of yellow noodles until cooked through but still firm. Remove and drain.

Place the blanched noodles in a serving bowl. Top with blanched bean sprouts. Ladle a generous amount of the curry with taupok and fish balls over the noodles. Add the fried chicken pieces, halved boiled eggs, and fried long beans as toppings.