Sarawak Laksa
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Category: Malaysian
- Method: Hard
- Cuisine: Sarawak
Ingredients
For the paste
Toast the following in a dry pan until fragrant:
2 tps white sesame seeds
2 tps fennel seeds
25g coriander seeds
To blend:
4 to 5 dried chilli, soaked in hot water
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
15g candlenuts
¾ teaspoon curry powder
6 shallots roughly chopped
7 garlic cloves
3cm ginger
6cm galangal, sliced (double the size of the ginger)
4 fresh red chillies
2 sticks lemongrass
2 tablespoons belacan
120ml Cooking Oil
50g tamarind, soaked in a small bowl of boiling water (just enough to cover)
3 heaped teaspoons salt
¼ circle palm sugar
Stock
1 x whole chicken
1kg of prawns (shells and heads intact)
500ml coconut cream
Condiments
5 eggs made into thin omlettes
2 cups Bean sprouts, lightly blanched in the soup
500g rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot water (1 packet will feed about 8 people)
shredded chicken*
coriander, roughly chopped
* lemon or lime wedges*
Instructions
For the Paste:
1. In the blender, add in the spices that have been pan fried along with all the blended ingredients and blend to a pulp.
2. Add in cooking oil into a pan before adding the blended items and stir fry for 15 – 20 minutes until fragrant and the blended items becomes dark in colour
3. Once done, add in the tamarind juice, salt and palm sugar and cook until the paste becomes thick again for about 15 minutes
For the stock:
1. In a large pot add in the chicken and enough water to cover the top of the chicken and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in some salt and turn the fire off and let the chicken rest in the hot broth for 30 minutes.
2. While the chicken is poaching, preheat the oven to 180C. Remove the prawn shells and heads and devein the bodies. Keep the prawn heads and shells for the broth and set the prawn meat to the side.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the cooked chicken to cool before separated the meat from the chicken bones. Do not discard the chicken bones. And keep the chicken stock in the pot and reserve for later
4. In a large tray, add in the chicken bones and the prawn shells/heads and pop it into the oven to brown up – about 30 minutes at 180C oven.
5. After 30 minutes, add these roasted bones and shells back into the reserved poaching liquid and continue to boil for another 45 minutes. The longer they infuse, the better the flavor.
6. Strain the stock, discard the bones and shells. Return the stock to the heat and add in the paste. Leave to simmer for another 45 minutes. Strain the stock again, return to the heat and add in the coconut cream. Season to taste.
7. Blanch the prawns in the broth and set side 8. To serve, add noodles into a large bowl, add in a generous amount of broth, prawns shredded chicken, egg and coriander
Notes
Paste can be made in advance and kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Keywords: Laksa
