A Quirky Food Journey

Passport & Plate - Curry Laksa

Malaysia | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 4 photos

<b>Ingredients</b><br/>For the laksa paste: <br/><br/>4 dried long red chillies (softened in hot water for ten minutes and drained) <br/>2 cloves Garlic<br/>2 shallots<br/>2tbsp shrimp paste <br/>1tbsp cashew butter <br/>1tbsp Thai red curry paste <br/>1tbsp of grated ginger<br/>1 lemon grass stalk, chopped <br/>1tsp curry powder<br/>1tsp ground coriander<br/>1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika<br/>1/2 teaspoon ground cumin<br/>1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric<br/>40ml water <br/><br/><br/>For curry:<br/><br/>4 tablespoons of sesame oil <br/>10 king prawns <br/>100g of tofu - cut into thin slices <br/>4 chicken thighs - cut into thick slices <br/>Laksa paste <br/>3 cups homemade or store bought bone broth <br/>400ml coconut milk <br/>2tbsp coconut sugar<br/>1tbsp tamari <br/>A bunch of basil leaves<br/>1 cup of fresh bean sprouts <br/>A handful of coriander, chopped <br/>Lime wedges<br/>4 spring onions, sliced into thin strips <br/>Cucumbers, sliced into thin strips<br/>1tbsp rice vinegar <br/>A packet rice noodles, freshly boiled and drained<p> </p><b>How to prepare this recipe</b><br/>In a food processor combine all the ingredients together for the laksa paste. <br/><br/>Next in a pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and fry the prawns. Once they turn pink, remove and set aside. Repeat the same action for the tofu in 1 tablespoon of oil until have a golden sheen and set aside. <br/><br/>Next, on a high heat, fry the chicken thighs in the remaining oil. Once the chicken starts to brown add all the laksa paste to the wok and sauté with the chicken for a few minutes, until the spices give off their fragrance. <br/><br/>Add the tofu, broth, coconut milk, coconut sugar, tamari and basil leaves to the pan and bring contents to a boil. <br/><br/>Put the heat on a low setting, cover and simmer the curry for up to an hour. Towards the end, red oil will rise to the top - that is when you have a true laksa. <br/><br/>Meanwhile, mix the vinegar and cucumber and set aside. <br/><br/>After an hour, check the seasoning of the laksa. If required add some salt to taste. Stir in the prawns, beansprouts, almost all of coriander, half the spring onion and a squeeze or two of lime. Heat everything up for a few minutes.<br/><br/>Divide the noodles into bowls, pour desired amount of hot curry onto the noodles and garnish with remaining spring onions, coriander, lime wedges and pickled cucumber.