Lotsa Laksa

Internationally-renowned photographer, Russel Wong, recently posted about laksa on his blog. He included his Mom’s recipe, a family heirloom, and even tackled the sensitive and controversial topic of Which is the ‘Real’ Katong Laska – a debate I choose to stay well away from.

Now that the dust has settled on the ‘Laska Wars’, it’s wonderful that Russel has written about the famed katong stalls and written  part of our culinary history so that we remember ‘who serves what’ and ‘who moved where’. It is the ‘in’ on laksa the way one local would tell another.

I’m a purist: I believe food should be made with the best effort, ideally using the best recipe one can get one’s hands on. But I’m also a pluralist: the more good laksas there are available, the better for us all.

This inspired me to share my own family recipe, the one that is featured in my grandmother’s original cookbook, Mrs Lee’s Cookbook then was reworked in The New Mrs Lee’s Cookbook Vol 1: Nonya Cuisine.

A very practical tip: if you plan to make laksa rempah often (the spice paste made from scratch which needs to be ground), use a very sturdy blender/food processor; my favourite being the Preethi, which was designed for Indian spice paste in mind. It is extremely effective and efficient, resulting in a smooth and even paste. Laksa paste is particularly challenging, a standard Western grinder may not be able to handle the substantial amount of rempah required for one recipe – unless you grind in batches, and wait for the motor to cool each time.

Laksa

Serves 6-8 persons/generous bowls

1.5 kg grated coconut
1.7 litres water
600 g bean sprouts
900g laksa nooodles / fresh thick white rice vermicelli (laksa beehoon)
150g dried prawns/shrimps (udang kering)
1 cucumber
20 stalks laksa leaves (daun kesum)
400g fresh uncooked fish balls
600 g medium-sized prawns
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp fine salt, or to taste
1.7 litres water

Chilli Oil
20 dried chillies
300 ml oil

Rempah
2 stalks lemongrass (serai)
40 slices galangal (lengkuas)
12 candlenuts (buah keras)
15 dried chillies
25 small red shallots (bawang merah)
2 Tbsp prawn/shrimp paste (belacan)
2 Thumb-size knoves turmeric (kunyit) or 1 Tbsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp coriander (ketumbar) powder

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried chillies for the rempah in hot water.
2. Prepare/squeeze the coconut cream and milk to obtain 300 ml coconut cream and 1.4 litres coconut milk.
3. Blanch the bean sprouts and rice vermicelli seperately. Drain and set aside.
4. Pound/blend the dried prawns.
5. Peel then cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrap away and discard the seeds. Finely shred (julienne) the cucumber.
6. Wash then finely shred the laksa leaves.
7. Prepare the rempah. Deseed then roughly chop the soaked dried chillies. Peel then roughly chop the lemongrass (use white portion only), galangal, shallots and turmeric (if fresh turmeric is used). Pound/blend together with the prawn paste, adding the turmeric powder (if used) and coriander powder last.

Method:

1. Prepare the stock. Bring the water to a boil and cook the fish balls. The fish balls are cooked once they rise to the surface. Remove and set aside.
2. Using the same water, cook the prawns for 5-7 mins. Remove, shell then de-vein the prawns. Set aside.
3. Prepare the chilli oil. Heat a wok over a high flame until it smokes. Add the oil. Lower the flame, then stir-fry the chillies. Remove the wok from the stove and let it rest. Once the chillies have settled at the bottom, remove the chillies from the oil and place it in a small serving dish.
4. Reheat the chilli oil, then add the rempah. Stir-fry for about 10 mins until it is fragrant. Sprinkle some water into the rempah, then lower the flame.
5. Add the dried prawns then stir-fry for 2 mins. Increase to a high flame then add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
6. Add the coconut cream, sugar and salt. Lower the flame then simmer for 10 mins.
7. Blanch the rice vermicelli in boiling water then drain well.
8. To serve, place some rice vermicelli, cucumber, bean sprouts, fish balls, prawns and laksa leaves into individual serving bowls. Pour the gravy over and serve hot. Serve the fried chilli on the side.