Recipe of the Week: Singapore Laksa

Can you believe it's September already? Last year, we shared all Asian recipes throughout the month of September. It was a great success. Our friend Nixon Khoo's kway chap recipe is one of the most popular post on our blog (it is THE most popular recipe for sure!). It's not surprising since I've used his recipe several times now and have made myself homesick just eating his version of kway chap.

So we've decided to do it again this year.

This time around, we'll start with my favorite -- Singapore Laksa. There are many versions of this delicious noodle soup. You can also find Malaysian (Penang) laksa, nyonya-style, and/or recipes that use chicken meat instead of seafood. I've decided that for our blog, we'll replicate the version I most frequently eat at home. We tried to make it as authentic as we can by even growing our own laksa leaf! The secret is in the broth, so try your best to obtain as many of the ingredients as you can find. Your Asian grocery store is probably the best place to start looking.

Ingredients for spice paste (for the broth):
In a food processor, blend together
3 shallots, peeled
10 macadamia nuts (a substitute for candlenut)
1/2-inch fresh tumeric, peeled
2 sticks of lemongrass, slice and keep the white part only
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 tbsp minced galangal
2 red chillies, seeded
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 cup dried shrimp, soaked and drained

Directions to make broth:
Roast the spice paste over low heat for 10 minutes. Then to this mixture, add a can of coconut milk, and a can of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Additional ingredients:
16oz cooked guilin noodles or thick rice vermicelli (find in Asian grocery store)
1/2lb shrimp, peeled and cooked
3 hard boiled eggs, halved
4 cups of bean sprouts
1 cup of fish cake, sliced thinly (we used Korean ones found in our Asian grocery store)
tofu puffs, (optional)
laksa leaf, finely chopped (optional)

Ladle broth over individual bowls of noodles, shrimp, eggs, fish cake, tofu puffs, and top with bean sprouts and laksa leaf. Serve steaming hot.