Yaki-Soba (Stir-Fried Noodles) with Grilled Lamb

I make sure to always replenish the supply of fresh soba (fresh noodles, more commonly known as mee kuning in Malaysia) in my fridge. Unlike the dried varieties of noodles (including the various pastas) that requires cooking the noodles prior to the cooking process, fresh soba is ready to use…from the fridge straight to the pan!

If you are a lover of noodles (doesn’t matter which types…flat, thin, broad, fine, fresh and dried), you know that there are no limits in trying to create a delicious dish. You can combine just about anything (edible!) with your noodles to please your palate.

Hailing from Malaysia, noodles have always been a big part of my diet. This is not the case with my hubby. So when we first got married and I stocked up our fridge/pantry with all the various noodles available, hubby was a little skeptical – “please don’t bore me with noodles!” Now it’s a different story altogether; he wants noodles for dinner at least twice a week! Little junior is a fan of noodles too…

We bought some boneless lamb steaks the other day for lamb curry (to be posted later). I kept a slice of the steak for this dish: I seasoned the lamb simply with salt and pepper and grilled it and later cut it into slices.

Alongside, I stir-fried my soba with garlic, onion, red pepper flakes (for the added oomph) and some seasonings. When the noodles were ready, I added the grilled lamb slices and stirred on to make sure the noodles and the lamb slices are fully combined – so that the juices of the tender lamb infuse the soba.

Get creative with your noodles and ‘hear’ your belly smile!

Rojak Mamak (Pasembur)

As a colloquial expression, the word rojak is used in Malaysia to describe an assorted mix of something or even someone….we sometimes jokingly say that a person is a rojak if he/she comes from a mixed-parentage! Now that is funny especially since rojak literally refers to a delectable dish (known to originate from Indonesia)!

For the global foodies, rojak is simply a plate of salad (consisting of fruits and vegetables, eggs and fish cakes and sometimes tossed noodles along with many other choices) that is specifically dressed with yummy peanut sauce. You get a dish of rojak when an assortment of ingredients are assembled on a plate and topped with spoonfuls (not just spritzs!) of the creamy peanut dressing.

Actually, there is a wide variety of rojak available according to regions in Malaysia; the type of rojak that I prepared earlier today is also known as pasembur. Here are some of the ingredients I piled up on my plate of homemade rojak: crunchy fritters (prepared separately), fried tofu, seasoned and boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, coarsely shredded cucumber and jicama, a handful of bean sprouts.

I prepared the spicy and sweet peanut sauce after reading a couple of recipes online, more eager to learn some tips and shortcuts :) I remember once watching Rachel Ray preparing this peanut sauce using crunchy peanut butter, a couple of dashes of soy sauce, spicy mustard and maple syrup. I think that would work too but I made my rojak sauce from scratch. Roasting the peanuts and then pounding them gives the sauce a rather distinct flavor.

As satisfying as any homemade dish can be but not enough to satiate my yearning for the rojak served at the mamak stall in Taman Shamelin, Cheras!