Malaysian Recipes

Laksa 

Laksa is a spice-laden noodle dish that is popular in Malaysia and Singapore; it’s a noodle dish that is quickly gaining popularity outside of Southeast Asia because of the scrumptious taste. To most people, especially the western media, laksa means curry laksa, a noodle dish in coconut milk and curry soup base. The truth is, there are many different types of laksa but the two dominant ones are curry laksa (coconut milk based) and asam laksa (tamarind based). Laksa is an iconic street food served by street vendors (hawkers) throughout Malaysia.

The origin of the name laksa is unclear. One theory traces it back to Urdu/Persian lakhshah, referring to a type of vermicelli, which in turn may be derived from the Sanskrit lakshas (ایک لاکھ) meaning "one hundred thousand" (lakh).It has also been suggested that "laksa" may derive from the Chinese word 辣沙 (Cantonese: [làːt.sáː]), meaning "spicy sand" due to the ground dried prawns which gives a sandy or gritty texture to the sauce. The last theory is that the name comes from the similar sounding word "dirty" in Hokkien due to its appearance.

There are three basic types of laksa: curry laksa, asam laksa and Sarawak laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour fish soup with noodles. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) are also common and some variants use other types.

INGREDIENTS :

2 lb fresh or dried thick round rice noodle
3 oz tamarind paste
10 cups water
2-2½ lb fresh wolf herring [ikan parang] or Spanish mackerel - cleaned, kept whole
3 heaped tbsp sugar
salt and pepper
14 sprigs laksa leaves [Vietnamese mint or polygonum odoratum] [Substitute: fresh mint sprigs]
2 wild ginger buds [bunga kantan] [Substitute: 4 inch fresh ginger]
4 pieces dried tamarind skins [asam gelugor] [Substitute: ½ cup key lime juice]
3 tbsp prawn paste [haeko - pronounced 'hey-ko', otak udang in Malay], [belacan]mixed with 1 cup warm water [optional]

6-8 garlic
5 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced
8 oz shallots
1 inch fresh turmeric root [lengkuas]
3 tbsp or to taste, chili paste
1½ tbsp belacan, also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]



Noodles in Spiced Coconut Soup

 INGREDIENTS :

2 lb fresh yellow egg [chow mein noodles]
2 lb fresh shrimps, save shells to make 2 cups shrimp stock
1 onion, quartered
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed
3-4 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
10 sprigs laksa leaves [Vietnamese mint, Holy mint or Polygonum odoratum] [Substitute: fresh mint sprigs]
4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and bashed
4 sprigs curry leaves [optional]
Salt and pepper

1-1½ tbsp sugar
2 cans coconut milk
8 cups water
4 pieces dried tamarind skins [asam gelugor] [Substitute: ½ cup key lime juice]
4 tbsp or to taste, chili paste
20 shallots
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 inch fresh turmeric root [lengkuas], sliced
2 inch fresh galangal [lengkuas in Malay], sliced
1 tbsp belacan, also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]

[Items in italic to be ground or blended]  



Ingredients for Garnishing :

cooked shrimp [from making the stock]
4 cups fresh bean sprouts
4 tbsp shallots, sliced thinly, fried golden brown
2 cups seedless cucumber, finely shredded
1 fresh pineapple, cut into thin strips [Substitute: 4 to 6 oz canned pineapple]
2 red onions, very thinly sliced
3 torch ginger [bunga kantan], finely chopped [optional]
4 red Serrano chilies, seeded, finely sliced [optional]
10 sprigs fresh mint leaves, stems discarded
12 kaffir limes, cut into halves


To Prepare :

Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind chili paste, belacan, galangal, turmeric root, shallots and coriander seeds into a paste

Peel shrimp, save shells, roughly pound shrimp shells [if preferred, set aside a few shrimps in the shell, for presentation]

In a stockpot add onion, garlic, 2 cups water, simmer 15-20 mins to extract maximum flavor, strain, discard shells

Add shrimp to stock, cook until just opaque, remove shrimp with a slotted spoon, set aside for garnish [if preferred, cook a few shrimps in the shell, for presentation]

Heat wok, add peanut or vegetable oil, add ground paste, stir-fry until quite toasted and oil starts to ooze from paste - do not burn!

Add shrimp stock, bring to a boil, simmer rapidly 3 mins, then transfer into a stockpot

In the stockpot, coconut milk , the rest of the water, lemongrass stalks, sugar, dried tamarind skins [asam gelugur ], curry leaves [optional], and season with salt and pepper

Simmer on med heat for 20-30 mins

Do a taste for salt and sugar, add accordingly and keep soup hot on low heat, for serving

Using a sieve, blanch noodles in hot water to warm up noodles

Assemble individual serving bowls - put some bean sprouts into a bowl, followed by a handful of noodles, ladle piping hot soup over noodles and garnish with a little of each - fried shallots, cucumber, pineapple, onions, mint leaves, torch ginger [optional], red Serrano chilies [optional] and a lime half.