Laksa - Curry Noodles

Laksa - Curry Noodles Recipe

Ingredients:
  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil 
  • 1 liter chicken stock or water 
  • 160ml coconut milk 
  • 100g prawns, remove shell 
  • 100g squid (cleaned, remove skin and cut into rings) 
  • 6 dried deep-fried bean curd (tau foo pok, cut into halved) 
  • salt and pepper to taste 
  • 2 wedges lime 
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar or grated palm sugar 
  • 200g fresh rice noodles (blanched in boiling water or dried rice vermicelli, soaked to soften) 
  • 120g of bean sprouts 
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs (remove shell, cut into wedges) 
  • 2 tablespoons fried shallots
Spice paste ingredients:
  • 12 shallots 
  • 4 cloves garlic 
  • 6 candlenuts (cleaned, soaked for 30 minutes) 
  • 5cm ginger 
  • 4 red chilies 
  • 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (soaked to soften) 
  • 1 teaspoon of dried shrimp paste (belacan) 
  • 2 lemon grass, bruised 
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
Steps:
Laksa is a curry based noodle dish. It is popular in Malaysia and Singapore.
 
Penang laksa (Asam laksa), is a famous Penang local dish. Features of Penang laksa are its sour fish-based soup that without coconut milk. And traditionally fresh laksa noodles - a soft, white round noodle is used in Penang laksa.
 
Johor laksa (Curry laksa) is a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Laksa is commonly served with a sambal chilli paste. The noodles of Johor laksa commonly used yellow noodles or rice noodle.
  • Prepare the spice paste. Chop the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, ginger and chilies coarsely. Blend everything with dried shrimp and a little of oil until fine. 
  • Then, mix in curry powder and dried shrimp paste, blend for a few more seconds. Set aside with lemon grass. 
  • Heat remaining oil in a wok or a heavy pan. 
  • Add the spice paste, lemon grass, brown sugar and cook over low heat. Stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until the paste is fragrant. Add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to the boil, keep stirring. 
  • Put in all the seafood and the bean curd and simmer until it is cooked. 
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper. 
  • To serve, divide noodles among bowls. Decides the serving portions of each bowls as you desire. 
  • Ladle over laksa stock mixture to each bowls. 
  • Top with bean sprouts, eggs and fried shallots. 
  • Squeeze lime wedges juices over the noodles before serving.