Johor Laksa

Show: Best Wan!   Chef: Chef Wan   Category: Main Dish

Ease of Cooking: Intermediate  

Ingredients

Ingredients A125ml / 4 fl oz vegetable oil
2 litres / 64 fl oz coconut milk (santan cair)
500g  / 1 pound 1 1/2 oz fresh prawns
300g / 10 oz Indian mackerel (ikan kembung), boiled and flaked
1kg / 2 pounds, 3 oz Wolf Herring (ikan parang), grilled or boiled and flaked
100g / 3 1/2 oz salted fish (ikan masin)
2 small packets meat curry powder - mixed with water to a paste
1 cup roasted, pounded desiccated coconut (kerisik)
1 cup tamarind juice (assam juice) - mix tamarind pulp with hot water, strain
15 laksa leaves or Vietnamese mint (daun kesum), finely chopped
5 mint leaves (daun pudina), finely chopped
Salt and sugar to taste

Seafood StockPrawn heads
Fish bones (optional onion, dried shrimps, lemongrass serai) and fresh herbs) fried till fragrant, add in water and bring to boil. Blend all ingredients well and strain.

Laksa Paste3cm / 1 1/2 inch galangal (lengkuas or blue ginger), peeled
2cm / 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
8 lemongrass (serai), sliced
5 garlic cloves
1/2 cup / 4 fl oz dried shrimps (hebi, udang kering), soaked in cold water and drained
3cm / 1 1/2 fresh turmeric (kunyit), peeled
30 dried chilies, soaked in boiling water and well drained
125ml / 4 fl oz roasted shrimp paste (belacan)
25 shallots (red onion), peeled
1 cup water

Ingredients B2 packets spaghetti, boiled until cooked
2 cucumbers, peeled, discard seeds and slice into thin narrow strips
250g / 9 oz bean sprout (tauge)
200g / 7 oz long beans or snake beans (kacang panjang), sliced thinly
15 basil leaves, finely chopped
10 calamansi lime (limau kalamansi, limau kasturi), halved
1 tbsp pounded chili and roasted shrimp paste (sambal belacan)

Method

Heat vegetable oil in a heavy pot. Add in the laksa paste and render the paste slowly. Fry till fragrant.

Add in meat curry powder (mixed with water), and cook over moderate heat until fragrant and oil begins to appear on the surface.

Add in all the flaked fish, dried fish, prawns, coconut milk and seafood stock. Add in fresh herbs (chopped), tamarind juice and roasted, pounded desiccated coconut (kerisik). Add in salt and sugar to taste.

Simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until gravy thicken, then serve the laksa gravy together with Ingredients B.