[CH] recipe: laksa lemak
Tara Deen (tara@es.usyd.edu.au)
Fri, 05 Jan 2001 14:02:11 +1100
I didn't see anyone reply to this one, so I'm going to provide you with
my favourite laksa recipes (at least, I ate it before I went vegan). You
can extract the paste from the rest of the recipe if you wish.
Laksa Lemak
adapted from Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Cooking.
This is a rich, coconutty Singaporean recipe. Penang laksa (a more
piquant version) can be made from this recipe by omitting the coconut
milk and adding the juice of a few limes instead.
500 g raw prawns
500 g prepared fish cakes
185 g crabmeat (opt)
fried tofu cubes (opt)
1 tbsp oil
10 cups water
salt to taste
375g vermicelli noodles
250 g fresh beansprouts
1 green cucumber (preferably Lebanese)
small bunch laksa leaf (Vietnamese mint)
2-6 cups coconut milk (use 6 if you've extracted your own from dried
coconut, 2 if it's a commercial coconut milk. Add to taste.)
sambal oelek or sambal badjak, to serve
fresh limes, cut into wedges or halved, to serve (optional)
For the paste:
6 large dried red chillies (cayenne)
2 tbsp dried prawns, or 2 tsp blachan
2 medium onions
2 small knobs fresh/brined laos (galangal) root, or 2 tsp galangal
powder
6 candle nuts (or substitute macadamias or brazil nuts)
2 stems lemon grass, or the thinly peeled rind of 1 lemon
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
Wash the prawns well, remove shells and heads a reserve for making
stock. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan, and fry prawn shells until
they are pink. Add water, 2 tsp salt and simmer, covered, for about 1
hour or until reduced by 1/3. Anyone who has ever made prawn stock or
prawn bisque will understand when I say, do this on a day that you can
have all the windows in the house open! Strain stock, discard shells and
heads.
While stock is cooking, devein prawns, slice fish cakes, and pick over
crab meat for any bony bits. Keep seafood in fridge until required. Stem
and seed dry chillies if you wish. Finely slice lemon grass, use only
white portion. Soak chillies and dried prawns in hot water for at least
10 minutes. Put chillies, prawns, galangal, candle nuts, lemon grass,
into a blender and puree with enough of the soaking water to blend.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy saucepan and gently fry the ground mix,
stirring to prevent sticking until brown and fragrant. Add the turmeric
and coriander, stir fry for 1 minute longer. Add the strained stock and
simmer for 30 mins.
Pour very hot water over vermicelli in a bowl, soak for 10 minutes and
drain. Pinch any straggly ends from the beans, wash well and drain in a
colander. Peel and seed cucumber, cut into fine julienne. Shred the mint
finely.
When soup has simmered, remove from heat. Add coconut milk, taste,
adjust seasoning. If you wish to freeze the soup, do so at this point.
it will freeze well. Otherwise, return to heat.
Add fish cakes and crabmeat and bring to simmering point. Drain
vermicelli, add to soup. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok, stir fry prawns for
about 2 mins or until just done, adding salt to taste.
Serve soup in large bowls, topping with sprouts, cucumber strips, a few
prawns, tofu is used and mint shreds. Serve the sambals and lime
segments separately, so you can adjust the soup to individual tastes.
Will serve up to 6.
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Tara Deen Phone: 61-2-9351 4271
School of Geosciences Fax: 61-2-9351 0184
Building FO5 Mobile: 061 410 538 655
University of Sydney NSW 2006 email: tara@es.usyd.edu.au
AUSTRALIA
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