May 10, 2009

Noodles in Spicy Coconut Milk/Siamese Laksa

Siamese Laksa is a noodle soup with coconut milk and flaked fish gently simmered with the basic ingredients of lemongrass, chilli, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, and tumeric. The flavor is rich and spicy with a sweet and sour taste.
Ingredients:
1 packet noodles (Vermicelli or Lai Fun)
2 cans Fish without oil (mackeral or salmon)
8-10 dried chillies, soaked and remove seeds (more or less)
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks of lemon grass, chopped
4 small tumeric, peeled
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
2" galangal
1" ginger, peeled
2 cans of coconut cream
some oil
½ cup tamarind juice (approximate)
salt and sugar to taste
Garnishing:
1 bunch of polygonum odoratum (also known as daun kesom in Malay)
2 cucumber, peeled and julienned
Method:
1. In a blender of food processor, combine the lemon grass, onion, ginger, tumeric, galangal, a few of the kaffir lime leaves, and ground to a fine paste. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, flake the fish finely. Heat a little oil in deep pot and gently fry the above till fragrant, add some of the coconut cream, and rest of the kaffir leaves. Stir it to mix in medium flame.
3. Add in the fish and adjust the soup with more coconut milk and tamarind juice. Season to taste and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
4.In another deep pot, bring some water to a fast boil and cook the noodles according to the directions on the packet. Rinse noodles with water and set aside.
5. Serve some noodles in a bowl with laksa gravy, and garnish with the daun kesom and some cucumber.
Printable Recipe