I first fell in love with Laksa before I'd even tasted it, when I saw Rick Stein make his Kuala Lumpur Chicken and Prawn Curry Laksa on Masterchef Australia. I'd tried recreating it then, but I ended up with some stale noodles, and well, apart from a great tasting curry, as a dish I had a culinary disaster in my hands. I finally mustered up the courage to try it again, this time thought, using a completely different recipe, and the results too, were very very different. Red hot different.
| Penang Asam Laksa - Fire in a bowl |
Penang Asam Laksa Recipe with a twist
serves 8
Ingredients
1 kg pre-cooked egg noodles
Ground spice paste:
15 fresh red chilies and 10 dried red chilies
10 white onions
6 cloves garlic
1 inch of galangal
1 tsp turmeric
2 stalks lemongrass, minced (use the white part only)
For cooking fish:
1 litre fish stock
3 stalks lemongrass, lightly smashed (white part only)
3 inches of galangal, halved
2 filets of Sea Basa (chopped into pieces)
1/3 cup tamarind juice (mix tamarind in hot water for five minutes before squeezing it to obtain the juice)
10 mint leaves
3 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
serves 8
Ingredients
1 kg pre-cooked egg noodles
Ground spice paste:
15 fresh red chilies and 10 dried red chilies
10 white onions
6 cloves garlic
1 inch of galangal
1 tsp turmeric
2 stalks lemongrass, minced (use the white part only)
For cooking fish:
1 litre fish stock
3 stalks lemongrass, lightly smashed (white part only)
3 inches of galangal, halved
2 filets of Sea Basa (chopped into pieces)
1/3 cup tamarind juice (mix tamarind in hot water for five minutes before squeezing it to obtain the juice)
10 mint leaves
3 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
250 ml coconut milk
Salt to taste
Garnishing
Chinese lettuce, sliced
Handful of bean sprouts
2 red onions, thinly sliced
Handful of mint leaves
3 red chilies, thinly sliced
2 red onions, thinly sliced
Handful of mint leaves
3 red chilies, thinly sliced
Process:
Blend Spice Paste ingredients till smooth.
Heat a pot of fish stock and add lemongrass, galangal, tamarind water, mint, fish sauce. Bring to a boil and then add fish. Boil on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
Add the spice paste.
When it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. While simmering, add salt, coconut milk and sugar to balance the spiciness and sourness for your taste.
Rinse noodles in cold water and strain. Place one serving of beansprouts, Chinese lettuce and noodles into a bowl, and pour soup with fish over the top.
Top with red onions, red chilies and mint leaves, and prepare to breathe fire!
