Who doens’t love the comforting Nonya Laksa? After the noodles have been eaten, the coconut-y broth is often lovingly slurped up too. Chef Ambrose Poh of Allspice Institute shows how to make this dish. Don’t rush through making the rempah paste — it’s the foundation of this dish with multiple layers of flavour form the different spices used. Makes a fab one-dish meal for when friends come over (simply up the recipe portions).
Ingredients
- 150 to 200 g laksa noodles or brown rice noodles, blanched and drained
- 50 g bean sprouts, blanched and drained
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 6 prawns, cooked
- 1 fried fish cake, sliced
- 1 tbsp laksa leaves, chopped, save stalks
- 2 tbsps dry shrimp, soaked and blended
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bashed
- 2 cups prawn stock or ikan bilis stock
- 1 cup coconut milk, as required
- ½ tsp salt, to taste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
NONYA LAKSA REMPAH
- 100 g (8) shallots, peeled
- 80 g (4) red chillies
- 5 dried chillies, soaked in hot water
- 12 g blue ginger, peeled
- 15 g fresh turmeric root
- 15 g garlic, peeled
- 20 g (4) candle nuts
- 3 chilli padi, as required
- 2 lemongrass, sliced
- 1 tbsp belachan
Steps
NONYA LAKSA REMPAH Blend all the rempah ingredients in a food processor. When ready to cook, add cooking oil into a wok. Saute the rempah slowly on medium heat. When fragrant, the paste will turn darker in colour and the oil will separate from the rempah. This indicates it is cooked.
In a pot, add in prawn stock, laksa paste and laksa leaf stalks to simmer for 20 mins.
Add the coconut milk and dry shrimp to cook for further 10 mins, turn off heat and discard the lemongrass and laksa leaf stalks.
Place the blanched bean sprouts and noodles, sliced fish cake and prawns in a bowl. Pour the laksa gravy over the noodles.
Garnish with chopped laksa leaves, hard-boiled egg and sambal belachan, if preferred.
Photo: Andy Wong/Rave Photography