Laksa Singapore

-ingredients

—broth

• 700 ml chicken stock
• 100 ml water
• 100 g ikan bilis (anchovies)
• 4 tbsp veggie oil
• 1 litre coconut milk
• fish sauce
• sugar
• salt

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—rempah/spice

• 8 shallots, chopped
• 12 large dried red chilies soaked in lukewarm water, 1 hr
• 200 g dried shrimp (hae bee) soaked in lukewarm water, 4 hrs
• 2 stalks lemongrass, sliced
• 12 candlenuts
• 2 tsp shrimp paste (belacan), roasted
• 5 cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled
• 10 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp ground anise star
• 1 tbsp coriander seed
• 4 tbsp veggie oil

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—ingredients to serve (all cooked and ready to eat)

• 300 g cooked thick rice noodle (bee hoon)
• tiger prawns, cooked
• 12 pieces perforated bean curd (tau pok)
• pan-fried Chinese fish cakes, sliced
• 2 eggs, hard boiled & halved
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1/4 cup fresh laksa leaves (Vietnamese mint or daun kesom)
• sambal belacan (see below)

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-method (to prepare laksa broth)

1. boil chicken stock and water in large pot
2. add anchovies and simmer for 1 hr on medium heat
3. reduce heat to simmer
4. pound all rempah ingredients in mortar into smooth paste
5. heat 4 tbsp veggie oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the rempah paste, 5 – 10 min until fragrant and dark brown
6. mix in rempah and coconut milk to the pot of broth
7. turn heat up to boil
8. season broth with fish sauce, sugar and salt

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Sambal belacan

-ingredients

• 10 g dried shrimp paste (belacan)
• 4 chilli padi
• 4 red chillies
• 2 calamansi (Kafir lime)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt

-method

1. Saute shrimp paste on dry pan until fragrant
2. In a mortar, pound chillies and shrimp paste until homogenous
3. add calamansi lime juice to the paste
4. add sugar and salt to taste
5. store the sambal belacan in a container

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Procedure to serve laksa
-steps

1. apportion and add all ‘ingredients to serve except curry leaves” to a serving bowl
2. “Rinse or run through” the above ingredient with laksa broth several times.This will slow cook the ingredients.
3. add in the laksa broth, sambal belacan (according to your spiciness level), and curry leaves.
4. Serve hot.

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Alternative ingredients to enhance flavour and texture

• cooked blood cockle, shelled