Puchong stall serves up Kedah-inspired mee jawa, popiah basah
MEE jawa with its slightly sweet and spicy taste is a noodle dish of Indonesian origin.
At the lively Puteri Mart in Bandar Puteri, Puchong, one will come across Northern Jawa Mee stall selling this appetising dish that keeps taste buds happy.
The stall has been operating at Old Puchong Food Avenue since the end of 2009.
Its owner Jason Lim Kim Chooi, 56, said preparing the mee jawa gravy – the soul of the dish – was no easy task.
“First, we blend sweet potato, potato, pumpkin and chillies together for the gravy.
“It takes hours of work to simmer the mixture for the gravy,” he said.
Lim says the mee jawa gravy has to be simmered for hours.
Eaten on its own, the slightly thick orangey-red gravy is pleasant with the right amount of sweetness and mild heat.
Squeezing calamansi lime juice and adding some sambal lifts the taste profile a notch with slight tanginess and spicy sweet flavours, offering balance to the gravy.
Yellow mee is a must for this savoury dish garnished with tofu, hard-boiled egg and crispy fritters.
The deep-fried fritter, to me, adds another element of texture.
The fritter can be appreciated on its own or if you like, soaked in gravy to soften.
Appetising mee jawa and (below) popiah basah from the stall at Old Puchong Food Avenue.
The mee jawa with squid is priced between RM9 and RM11.
Lim also sells popiah basah at this pork-free stall.
The spring rolls are packed with a filling of jicama and carrot, lettuce, egg as well as crunchy deep-fried onions and tofu.
Like many other hawkers, Lim uses wheat spring roll wrappers to hold the ingredients together.
He said the filling would also take hours to prepare as the jicama and carrots needed to be julienned and then cooked.
“The ingredients for the fillings are cooked for three to four hours on a slow fire,” he said adding that the popiah wraps were sourced from a supplier.
The taste of the meat-free dish is elevated by chilli sauce piped onto the surface.
There is also a meat popiah option with a sprinkle of chicken floss.
The vegetarian popiah is priced at RM7.50 and with chicken floss, RM8.50.
Lim said he inherited the mee jawa and popiah recipes from his brother-in-law.
“Before I set up a stall here, my brother-in-law and his mother sold mee jawa and popiah in Alor Setar, Kedah.
“I saw the potential of opening a business in Klang Valley as there were not many stalls selling mee jawa.
So, I learned from them and started my business in 2009.
“We are usually very busy during festive seasons especially Chinese New Year,” he added.
The stall is open for business from 8am to 5pm daily.
