Monday, September 13, 2010

Curry Laksa 咖喱叻沙 - "Malaysian Monday 11"




I received quite a few requests from my friends and readers for curry laksa/laksa lemak but with all the laksa recipes out there on the internet, do we really need another laksa recipe? That was until my craving for laksa was becoming too much to bear and I decided to kill two birds with one stone at the end.... There are hundreds of different versions out there; some like the broth to be quite creamy with plenty of coconut milk but some like a thinner broth, the toppings are also differ from town to town. This recipe is based on what I grew up with, something we all looked forward to once a month. I do have a very good Katong laksa recipe which is a lot richer than this, I will be posting that during our Singapore week so stay tuned! If you are on a diet and want something lighter, check out the almost fat free asam laksa.
P.S Hay fever is killing me



serves 6
you'll need;
1 packet of Hokkien noodles
1 packet of rice vermicelli, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained
bean sprouts
1/2 kg of prawns, cooked, peeled and halved lengthwise
2 chicken breasts, poached and hand shredded
1/2 block of fish cake, sliced
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved
a handful of green beans, cut into manageable pieces and blanched
1 red chili, sliced
a handful of picked mint 
a handful of picked vietnamese mint
lime wedges
cooking oil

for the laksa broth;
5 cm piece of turmeric or 1 tbs of turmeric powder
5 cm knob of galangal, chopped
250 g of shallots, chopped
10 garlic cloves, chopped
20 dried chillies, removed seeds and soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
6 red chillies, chopped
6 candlenuts
50 g of dried shrimps
2 tbs of shrimp paste, toasted
1 tbs coriander powder
1 lemongrass, white part only, chopped
1.5 L of water
400 ml of coconut milk
salt to taste
* blend everything except the last 3 items into a fine paste



Prepare the laksa paste.



For the chicken and prawn stock - bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil before adding the chicken breasts. Turn the heat up and when the water returns to a simmer turn off the heat, cover and let the chicken steep in the hot water for 20 minutes. Do not attempt to open the cover before the time is up. Remove chicken and return the water to a boil, add prawns and cook for 5 minutes then remove the cooked prawns. Peel prawns and return the prawn shells and heads to the cooking liquor, simmer for 10 minutes and remove solids.



Fry laksa paste with 4 tbs of cooking oil til fragrant and oil starts to split. Reserve a few tablespoons as topping.



Add the reserved chicken and prawn stock, coconut milk and bring it to a boil. Check for seasonings.



Prepare the toppings.....



and the rest of the ingredients.



Cook noodles in batches and blanch the bean sprouts just before serving.



Pour hot laksa broth over the blanched noodles and bean sprouts, add the toppings and some of the reserved laksa paste and serve immediately.



A squeeze of lime and mix well... delicious!



Our new friends Nate and Annie from House Of Annie will be hosting the September event. They have set up a form for all submissions.

43 comments:

  1. sedapnyer tengok laksa kari awak tummy! terasa lapar perot saya.. ade sedikit kelainan. nanti saya nak cuba. thanx tummy..

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  2. I want a big bowl of your laksa for dinner! Yummy!

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  3. Phwoar! That looks GREAT! Now you are making me crave for laksa....

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  4. makcik akan cuba resepi laksa ni untuk tetamu yang datang melawat makcik nanti..thanks dear:)

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  5. hi tummy! ur curry laksa make me want to break fasting right now lorr.. lain dr yg lain lah ur curry laksa, masuk list :D

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  6. Oh your laksa looks good Suresh! I made char kway teow over the weekend and it was so delicious!

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  7. I wish I am able to get a good bowl of laksa right now... look like I might have to cook some soon. Thanks for the recipe, it looks to die for!!!

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  8. Oh that looks sooooo good! It is absolutely worth the wait! Thank you!

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  9. Looks good. So much better than the bowls of laksa available in London.

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  10. I am now craving for laksa! Where can I get a bowl of that! lol

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  11. Yes you are right, there's quite a lot of laksa recipes out there, but whether or not they are good is yet another story. Yours look absolutely fab, and I'm looking forward to trying it out!

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  12. I am glad you caved in to your craving :) Your version looks fantastic, a must try for me!

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  13. how can i run away fr this yummy curry mee? Pls... tummy, stop tempted me or u hav to fly one bowl to Perth hehe....

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  14. Want that bowl of laksa right now !!!

    looks perfect and so much better than what we get here..

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  15. That is a bowl of goodness. I am glad you have decided to share this with us!

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  16. Oh you, everytime I read your posts I end up with a growling tummy! Better call it four (or a hundred) hungry tummies ;P Sorry to hear about the hayfever. I'm definitely going to try out your laksa recipe soon.

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  17. I love laksa and I am going to try your recipe out!

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  18. there can never be too many laksa recipes, not when they all look so good :)

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  19. This looks very yummy!! Happy Monday!

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  20. Wow! that is one mean looking laksa! Will suffer the next day lol! Eat first suffer later:P

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  21. this curry laksa looks so good..better than the one selling near my house!

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  22. Hey, hope you're feeling much better now! And you're still eating curry laksa! haha... That is such good looking laksa soup. Love it! Will try to make my own laksa someday. Thanks alot & take care.
    Cheers, Kristy

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  23. Again I'm always tempt by your good food especially this curry laksa.

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  24. I prefer assam laksa to curry laksa with coconut milk. This looks so tasty!

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  25. I love this curry laksa!! The red fiery colour is very tempting!

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  26. This looks like the ultimate in "comfort food" can I come by and stuff myself with this delicious bowl?

    Wow!

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  27. Toujours un plaisir de te rendre visite et d'admirer la cuisine malaisienne.
    Bonne semaine et à bientôt.

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  28. That laksa of yours looks better than any I had eaten in my lifetime! Well done buddy!

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  29. It's almost lunch but sadly I won't be eating a delicious bowl of laksa :(
    Love to try this recipe one day soon!

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  30. I love curry, I love laksa, definitely I will love your curry laksa too! You are making me craving for some leh...

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  31. Great pictorial - love all the delicious step-by-step pics! Where did you get the daun kesum?

    Thanks for your MMM entry!

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  32. This is really very tempting....my favourite. Looks very authentic and delicious....mmm. So sorry to hear you are suffering from hay fever. Please take care. Have more rest.

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  33. my dear tummy..thanks ya makcik dah cuba buat mee kari ni..sangat sedap. habis....licin...eh demam ya...hay fever tak ada di msia kan?semoga cepat sembuh..banyakkan rehat....

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  34. Lovely laksa! We also like some cockles and pig's blood with ours :)

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  35. un plat qui parait riche et savoureux, j'aime beaucoup
    bonne soirée

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  36. Yum! Another one for the fb Comfort Food page!

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  37. looks fab and hope your hayfever gets better lol

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  38. 又香又辣的拉沙我也要一碗!

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  39. I wan a big bowl of laksa now.
    I'm hungry right now.
    Fantastic presentation, too!!

    B xx

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  40. Perfect for this fall weather that's coming in! I want a bowl!

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  41. I am going to try and make this this weekend! YUM!

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