Weeknight Mee Goreng Mashup

By: Emma

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 small onion
300g tofu
100g green beans (or any lonely green veg in your fridge, I used a zucchini)
100g choi sum/pak choi (or swap out for any leafy green in need of a home, no veg is going home alone tonight)
300g egg noodles (or swap out for any noodle if you got too busy to make it to the supermarket for classic M.G. noodles - Hakubaku ramen was delicious)
1.5 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp sambal oelek or another savoury chilli paste (sriracha is also great) plus extra to serve
2 tsp ABC brand sweet soy sauce kecap manis
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp crisp-fried shallots
Go wild with lemon wedges, don't hold back. One for show is never enough.
If you tried hard to use up all your coriander and mint, but it's about to wilt into oblivion, this is a great time to chop it all up and toss through at the end. There's still hope.
A generous handful of shredded iceberg lettuce (or anything cold and crunchy really that needs rescuing, cucumber works well too)

Fry tofu in one pan until crunchy on all sides. In another pan fry the onion for a minute or two. Meanwhile start prepping your noodles according to the packet instructions.
Add your green beans (or your sub of choice) and give them a quick burst of heat to keep the green nice and bright. Then add your choi sum until it's just starting to wilt.
Spread the noodles across the top to give them lots of heat, then mix gently for 1-2 mins.
Add the spices, sambal oelek, soy sauces, water and any chopped herbs if using and toss gently. Cook for up to a minute, just to get it nice and hot.
Serve with the lemon, crisp-fried shallots, lettuce and breathe a sigh of happiness that dinner is on the table and that you've saved a bunch of vegetables and hard-earned money from oblivion. This recipe is adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi. It might not be Yotam-Perfect or KL-Street-Stall-Perfect. But it's perfect for the reality of a weeknight, saving pennies and reducing food waste. To me that perfectly delicious.