Singapore Laksa by Chef Chua Yew Hock
Ingredients
LAKSA PASTE
- 1 litre oil
- 700 g sugar
- 500 g salt
PART 1
- 500 g shallots
- 600 g fresh chilli
- 100 g garlic
- 700 g chilli paste
- 200 g candlenut
- 80 g lemongrass
- 100 g blue ginger
PART 2
- 100 g belachan, roasted
- 10 g turmeric powder
- 20 g coriander powder
PART 3
- 300 g dried shrimp, before roasted
MAIN INGREDIENTS
- 4.5 litres water
- 1.5 litres coconut milk
- 300 g dried thick bee hoon (rice vermicelli)
- 4 crayfish (200 - 400 g each), cooked (or use 20 tiger prawns)
- 12 pieces tau pok (bean curd puff), halved
- 1 piece fishcake, sliced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
- 100 g bean sprouts
- 0.25 cup fresh laksa leaves, finely chopped
- 4 strands pandan leaves
Steps
LAKSA PASTE Blend all ingredients under Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 separately until fine. Heat oil in pan and fry the fine paste (blended from Part 1) till fragrant. Add in fine paste blended from Part 2 and Part 3, one after another. Lastly, add in salt and sugar (see Chef’s Tip).
Bring 4.5 litres of water to boil. Then add in 1 kg of laksa paste and simmer for 10 mins. Add pandan leaf and laksa leaf; continue to simmer for 2 mins. Add 1.5 litres of coconut milk and bring to boil. Set aside.
Blanch rice vermicelli and bean sprouts. Separate the portion into four bowls.
Garnish each bowl of vermicelli with tau pok, fishcakes, crayfish or prawns, and eggs. Pour the laksa broth into each bowl and sprinkle with some finely chopped laksa leaves. Serve hot.
CHEF’S TIP:
This recipe will give you 5 kg of laksa paste. To make 4 portions of laksa, simply add 1.5 litres of coconut milk and 4.5 litres of water; then bring to boil. You can keep the remaining paste in the freezer for up to 3 months.