My Favorite Laksa

Malaysia is known for its Laksa - a one bowl meal with seafood or chicken, rice noodles plus a variety of other ingredients.  I have made both a sour version and one with coconut milk but I find combining them is my favorite.  I am sure a Malaysian would cringe over this sacrilege. The secret to a good Laksa is the Laksa Paste. The recipe below makes one cup. The leftovers can be frozen until you want to have Laksa once again.

My Favorite Laksa
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 500 gr. fresh rice noodles
- 1 Tbl. lime juice or to taste
- 1 Tbl. soy sauce
- 1 pinch cayenne
- 500 gr. fish cut into cubes

- 4 cups fish or vegetable or soup stock - see recipe on BA web site
- 3 Tbl. tamarind water (see note below)
- 4 Tbl. laksa paste - (see recipe below)
- 2 Tbl. chives, finely chopped
- 2 Tbl. Italian or regular parsley, chopped
- 2 Tbl. lemon grass, the white part only, finely chopped
-1 Tbl. curry powder, either Malaysian or Indian
- 3 lime leaves
- 1 1/2 Tbl. palm sugar, grated
- 4 cups fresh coconut milk
- salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients :
- 8 slices white radish, each slice cut into quarters
- 8 slices carrot, each slice cut into quarters
- 1 1/2 cups string beans, strings removed

- 2 Tbl. canola oil
- 400 gr. shrimp, shelled and cleaned

- 400 gr. tofu, cubed
- 1 package hard boiled quail eggs, shells removed (about 18 eggs)

Directions:

Mix the lime juice, soy sauce, and cayenne together. Pour this over the fish cubes and put in the fridge, covered, to marinate until you are ready to use.

Let the rice noodles come to room temperature while you prepare the Laksa.

Put the stock, tamarind water, laksa paste into a pot. Heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Add the chopped chives, parsley, lemon grass, curry powder, lime leaves, palm sugar, and the coconut milk and salt and pepper. Taste for salt. Add the white radish, carrots, and string beans and simmer until the vegetable are cooked.

While this is simmering heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes, turning the shrimp until they turn pink.  Be careful not to over cook or they will be tough. Take the shrimp out and add the tofu cubes and cook until they are brown adding more oil if necessary.

To the hot laksa in the pot, add the fish and cook 5 minutes longer, now add the shrimp, browned tofu, and quail eggs and heat 1 minute.

Pour hot water over the rice noodles. Drain. Divide the noodles between six soup bowls. Using a ladle divide the solid ingredients in the stock between the bowls finally dividing the sauce.

Selamat makan!

Laksa Paste
                                                                                          Makes 1 cup

Ingredients:
- 4-6 large red chilies, seeded and chopped
- 6 shallots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 6 candle nuts
- 2 tsp. ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tsp. fresh galangal root, chopped (or laos powder)
- 2 Tbl. coriander seeds, ground in mortar
- 1/2 tsp. shrimp paste
- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 3 Tbl. tamarind water
- 2 Tbl. canola oil

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a mortar and grind together with the pestle until you have a smooth paste.

You can also put all the ingredients except oil in a food processor or blender. Process for one minute adding a little water if needed to keep the blender running until you have a smooth paste.

Heat the oil in a small pot. Add the paste. Stir and then add the tamarind water if you used the mortar and pestle.  Cook stirring until there is a good aroma and the paste is thick, about ten minutes. 

Note: To make tamarind water put 2 Tbl. tamarind paste to soak in 1/2 cup water for 10 minutes. Strain, keeping the juice that is produced and throwing away the solids left in the strainer.

Laksa
Untuk 4-6 orang

Bahan- bahan :

- 500 gr. mie beras
- 1 Tbl. jus jeruk nipis
- 1 Tbl. soy saos
- 1 jari bubuk cabe kering
- 500 gr. ikan  tanpa kulit yang sudah bersih (bisa pakai ikan kakap/snapper atau ikan mahi mahi)

- 4 cangkir sup stok ikan kalau ada, kalau tidak, bisa pakai sup stok sayur saja.
- 3 Tbl. air asam
- 4 Tbl. laksa pasta (lihat resep dibawah)
- 2 Tbl. daun bawang dipotong halus
- 2 Tbl.  daun parsley Italian atau parsely biasa
- 2 Tbl. sere, hanya bagian yang putih saja, dipotong kecil
- 1 Tbl. bubuk kare Malaysia atau India
- 3 lembar daun jeruk
- 2 Tbl. gula bali, diparut
- 4 cangkir santan
- garam dan merica secukupnya

Untuk bahan yang dibubuhi :
- 8 irisan lobak, diris bundar dan dibagi 4 tiap irisan
- 8 irisan wortel, diris bundar dan dibagi 4 tiap irisan
- 1 1/2 cangkir buncis hijau tanpa tali dipotong kotak

- 2 Tbl. minyak canola
- 400 gr. udang, yang sudah bersih

- 2 biji. tahu, dipotong kotak ukuran sedang
- 1 paket telur puyuh, yang sudah matang dan buang kulitnya

Cara Membuat :

Campur jus jeruk nipis, soy saos dan cabe kering. Masukkan ikan dalam kotak plastik yang ada tutupnya. Taruh campuran jus jeruk nipis diatas ikan. Tutup kotak plastik, dan simpan dalam kulkas sampai waktunya dimasak.

Keluar mie beras dari kulkas, biarkan disamping.

Dalam pot taruh stok, air asam, laksa pasta, rebus selama 5-8 menit. Tambahkan daun bawang, daun parsely, sere, bubuk kare, daun jeruk, gula bali, santan, garam dan merica. Kalau kurang garam tambah lagi. Aduk sebentar, kemudian tambahkan  lobak, wortel, dan buncis hijau ke stok dan masak sampai matang.

Sementara ini dimasak, panaskan minyak di dalam wajan, masak udang selama 2 menit sampai berwarna merah muda, saring dan biarkan disamping. Goreng tahu sampai masak dan biarkan disamping.

Masukkan ikannya ke stok (yang ada  lobak, wortel, dan buncis hijau), dan rebus selama 5 menit. Tambah udang, tahu, dan telur puyuh, masak 1 menit lagi.

Bilas mie beras dengan air panas sampai lemas dan saring. 

Siapkan piring, taruh mie diatas piring, dibagi menjadi 6 , diatas mie taruh ikan, juga bagi menjadi 4 bagian, siap dihidangkan. Makanan lebih enak kalau dimakan dalam keadaan panas.

--*--
                                   
                                                     
Laksa Pasta
                                                                                                                                                                                    1 cangkir

Bahan- bahan :

- 4-6 cabe merah yang besar/ lombok, buang bijinya dan dipotong sedang
- 6 bawang merah, dipotong sedang
- 3 biji bawang putih, dipotong sedang
- 6 biji kemiri
- 2 tsp. jahe, dipotong kecil
- 2 tsp. lengkuas/isen, dipotong kecil atau bisa pakai lengkuas segar
- 2 Tbl. biji ketumbar, dihaluskan/diulek
- 1/2 tsp. terasi
- 1/2 tsp. garam

- 3 Tbl. air asam (cara membuat : masukkan 3Tbl. asam kedalam 1/2 cangkir air, rendam 10 menit dan saring)
- 2 Tbl. minyak canola

Cara Membuat :

Masukkan semua bahan, kecuali air asam dan minyak canola, kedalam ulekan kemudian diulek sampai pasta/halus. 

Panaskan minyak di dalam pot kecil. Masukkan bahan yang sudah diulek. Sambil diaduk pelan masukkan air asam. Masak sampai kental dan ada bau enak.

Bisa juga pakai blender. Kalau pakai blender atau food processor, caranya : masukkan semua bahan ke dalam blender kecuali minyak canola. Jangan lupa tambahkan 1/2 cangkir air. Blender sampai pasta/halus. 

Panaskan minyak di dalam pot kecil. Masukkan bahan yang sudah diblender. Masak sampai kental dan ada bau enak.