Asam Laksa Recipe

Asam Laksa Recipe

(Rice noodles in hot and sour fish gravy recipe)

600 g fresh or dried laksa noodles

5 tablespoons thick shrimp paste

50 - 100 ml hot water

Gravy:

600 g wolf-herring (parang) or Mackerel (kembong)

90 g tamarind pulp

1 liter water

1 liter fish stock

3-4 pieces tamarind peel

2 stalks polygonum  (kesom or laksa leaves) leaves

1 piece (3 cm) galangal, sliced thickly

Spice Paste (to ground together finely):

2 lemongrass (use bottom inner tender part), sliced thinly

200 g shallots

5 red chilies

5 dried chilies, soaked to softened

60 g dried shrimp paste (belachan)

1 piece (2 cm) fresh turmeric

Toppings:

1 small cucumber

1 small piece pineapple

2 big onions, peeled

1 small plant lettuce

1 ginger flower

2 - 3 red chilies or bird's eye chilies (to your preference)

150 g mint leaves - to garnish

3 calamansi, halved

Seasoning:

Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Gut and clean the fish and place in a shallow dish for steaming.  Steam the fish until cooked.  Leave the fish to cool before removing the flesh (careful to make sure you remove all the bones).  Set aside the fish flakes.  A pool of clear fish stock would have collected in the steaming dish, strain the fish stock together with the prepared 1 liter of fish stock into a deep stock pot or clay pot.  Mix the tamarind pulp with the 1 liter of water and strain into the pot with the fish stock.  Add the tamarind peel, polygonum leaves, ginger and the spice paste.  Bring the laksa stock to a boil and lower heat to simmer until aromatic.  Before turning off the fire, add the flaked fish and season to taste with salt and sugar.

To prepare the toppings.  Split and core the cucumber and cut into thin match-stick size.  Cut the pineapple into thin strips.  Peel, halve and slice onion thinly.  Wash the lettuce leaves, stack them and slice 1 cm wide.  Split the ginger flower and chilies, and slice finely.  Use only the mint leaves and discard the stems.

Scald the dried laksa noodles in boiling water until soft, rinse them in cold water and set aside to drain.  (For fresh laksa noodles, you do not have to scald them).  Add just enough hot water to the shrimp paste to achieve a pouring consistency.

To serve, place a serving of laksa noodles in a bowl or deep dish.  Top with a little of each of the topping ingredients.  Ladle very hot laksa gravy over the noodles and toppings.  Garnish with a sprig of mint leaves, half a calamansi and serve Asam Laksa with a tablespoon of the prepared shrimp paste.