Laksa
Ingredients
Laksa Paste
- 2 shallots roughly chopped
- 3 inch galangal roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 stalks lemongrass white part
- 10 dry red chilis deseeded and soaked in warm water
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 10 cashews
- 1 heaping tablespoons shrimp paste
Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon cumin whole
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander whole
Laksa Broth
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 inch ginger grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 bird's eye chili sliced (or to taste)
- 1 stalk lemongrass white part, grated
- 1/2 cup laksa paste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 can coconut milk 400ml
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
- salt as needed
To Serve
- 4 servings cooked rice noodles
- bean sprouts
- 10 tofu puffs sliced in half
- lime wedge
- sliced bird's eye chili thinly sliced
- cilantro chopped
- crispy shallots
- 4-8 pieces greens (bok choy) blanched
Shrimp
- 1 lb tiger shrimp peeled and deveined with tail intact
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon laksa Paste
- 1 tablespoon sambal
- 1 tablespoon water as needed to deglaze
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
Make Spice Blend
- In a frying pan lightly toast your whole and ground spices - cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika. This may take only about 30 seconds.
- Place all your spices in a spice blender and blend until very smooth and set aside.
Make Laksa Paste
- In a food processor add your aromatics, shallots galangal, garlic, lemon grass, soaked chilis (without water) and pulse.
- Add peanut oil, to help blend smoothly, your shrimp paste, cashews and blended spices. Pulse until very smooth adding more oil as needed.
- Scoop into a glass container and set aside until ready to use.
Make Broth
- In a large pot on medium heat pot add your oil, followed by ginger, garlic and grated lemon grass, hot pepper and sautee for 3 minutes.
- Add laksa paste and sautee for 5 minutes until fragrant.
- Add your stock, coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add more stock to taste.
- Season with fish sauce adding more or less taste. You may also want to season with salt alone.
- Add your tofu puffs and let simmer for 10 minutes and set aside.
Shrimp
- Season shrimp with salt and set aside.
- Heat up a skillet on medium high and add two tablespoons of oil.
- Place your shrimp and sear on one side for a minute.
- Flip over and add your laska paste and water to deglaze.
- Finish with sambal and remove from heat.
Construct
- In a bowl, add your cooked rice noodles adding a few tofu puffs into the bowl. Follow with cooked bok choy, bean sprouts, a few cooked shrimp, chili, cilantro and top with crispy shallots. Serve with a wedge of lime and enjoy.