Spicy Curry Noodles/Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa, is a popular hawker’s food in Malaysia and Singapore. It goes by many names--Curry Laksa, Curry Mee or Laksa Lemak. It is a spicy noodle dish with a rich flavor of fragrant spices infused in coconut milk. What does the word, Laksa means? Literally, it is the Indonesian word for “ten thousand” perhaps inspired by the many different ingredients that can be placed on top of this noodle dish. There are two types of laksa: a coconut based soup and the tamarind based Assam Laksa. I’ve had many versions--the basic is a rich and spicy coconut gravy with fried tofu, bean sprouts, fish cake, hard boiled egg and cockles (a saltwater clam), accompanied with a hot chili paste. For this post, I will be making the coconut version which I will be prepare with chicken pieces and prawns. For you noodle lovers—shall I tempt you with a bowl of curry laksa?

Ingredients:
1 package cooked yellow or spaghetti noodles
½ lb. fresh prawns, pan fried and shelled
Fried tofu cubes (halved and quartered)
Cockles, scaled and remove meat (optional)
8 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized
1 canned coconut cream
1 ½ cans coconut milk
2 stalks Indian curry leaves
Cooking oil
Spices:
4 stalks lemon grass, chopped in 2-inch lengths
5 candlenuts (buah keras)
10 dried chilies, (pre-soaked in water)
1 piece belachan (2-inch)
1 red onion, chopped
5 shallots, sliced
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup dried shrimps, presoaked
2 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. coriander powder (ketumbar)
Garnishing:
A handful of daun kesom and mint leaves
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Bean sprouts, scalded
Cucumber, julienned
Method:
1. Blend spices and pre-soaked dried shrimps to a smooth texture and set aside. Cook noodles according to instruction on package.

2. Heat 4 tablespoon of oil in frying pan over high heat. Add in curry leaves and blended spices. Reduce heat and cooked over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is fragrant and most of the liquid has evaporated, with a thin layer of oil on the surface.
3. Add in the chicken meat and fry until the meat is coated with the chili paste. Add in half of the coconut milk and bring to a boil for about 20 minutes or until the full flavor of the spices has impregnated the gravy. Then add in the coconut cream and bring to a boil before turning off heat. Season to taste and add more water or coconut milk if you prefer thinner gravy. Remove from heat and set in a cool place.
4. To serve, simply put a handful of scalded bean sprouts into individual serving bowl and top with cooked noodles. Scoop hot gravy over noodles and garnish with fried prawns, cucumber, daun kesom, mint leaves, eggs and chilli paste.
Cook’s note: You can cook the spice paste ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator. To remove the oily smell from fried tofu cubes, heat some hot boiling water in a pot and add in tofu. Cover and let steep for about 5-8 minutes. Squeeze out excess water from tofu when water has cooled down.
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Pork in Chinese Herbal Tea/Bak Kut Teh

Bak Kut Teh, literary means "Meat Bones Herbal Tea" and it is a dish that is popular in Malaysia and Singapore. It is basically a hearty meal of various cuts of pork simmered in an assortment of Chinese medicinal herbs that is nourishing and healthy for the body. Legend has it that this soup originated with the Chinese migrants who worked as hard laborers in Southeast Asia during the 19th century. In order to have enough energy to cope with the demanding nature of their job, they needed a hearty breakfast and hence, this soup was conceived. My mother would usually make this from scratch and would get the herbal concoction from the Chinese medicine shop. A friend mailed me a few packages of these pre-mix Bak Kut Teh Herbs and I am going to give it a try.

Ingredients:
2 ½ lbs. pork bones
1 ½ lbs. pork spare ribs, cut into 2-inch length
1 ½ lbs. fresh side belly pork, cut into 2-inch length
Fried tofu puffs, halved and quartered
12 dried shitake mushrooms, pre-soaked with water
2 packets Bak Kut Teh
1 piece Dong Quai root, cut into pieces (Chinese angelica sinensis)
1 stick cinnamon
6 pieces star anise
2 whole garlic, unpeeled (pre-roast in oven)
5-10 peppercorns
½ cup soy sauce (good quality)
5 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
Butter Rice:
3 shallots, sliced thinly
rice
2 Tbsp. melted butter

Method:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add scald pork bones and meat for about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat when there is a layer of scum or impurities floating on top. Rinse the meat and bones under running water and return to a clean pot.
2. Bring to a boil on high for about 20 minutes, add in mushrooms and roasted garlic. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about an hour until meat is tender. Remove the pork belly and spare ribs, leaving the bones, mushrooms and spices in the pot. Add soy sauces, fried tofu puffs and simmer for another hour. Season to taste if needed.
3. Fry shallots in one tablespoon of oil until crispy and brown. Remove and drain on paper towel. Wash rice and cook in rice cooker. Before the rice cooker's warm button comes up, quickly mix in melted butter and shallots into the cooked rice. Stir to mix well, and press warm button to keep rice warm.
4. To serve, spoon meat and tofu in a pot and pour in hot soup. Serve with steamed rice or butter rice.
Cook's note: If you want to make this soup from scratch, the ingredients are translated verbatim from the package. 20 g each of Chinese angelica sinensis root, 5 pieces licorice root, 10 gm chuan xiong, 2 cinnamon sticks,  30 gm. yu zu, 40 gm. dang shen, dried tangerine peel, dried cukor, and cloves.
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Samosas

A samosa is a deep fried conical shaped turnover filled with potatoes, (peas) and spices. It is a Northern India specialty and is popular as an apertizer or an afternoon snack. Samosas are typically served with freshly made mint sauce and a sweet tamarind-date sauce. It really brings out the full flavor of this wonderful snack. Enjoy!
Ingredients: (Makes about 12)
Adapted and inspired by Manjula'skitchen)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. soji or semolina flour
2 Tbsp. oil
pinch of salt
½ cup lukewarm water
Oil for deep frying (about 48 fl. oz)
Fillings:
4 medium sized red potatoes
½ red onion, minced
½ cup peas
3 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. red chili powder
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. garam masala
2 tsp. Amchur powder (dehydrated mango powder)
2 green chilies, chopped and seeds removed
Method:
1. Peel and pre-cooked potatoes until just tender but firm. Chop into small pieces.
2. In a mixing bowl, add flour, soji, oil and salt and mix well until it resembles fine crumbs. Add in water and knead to form a smooth dough for about 8-10 minutes. Leave in bowl to sit for about 20 minutes.
3. Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. sauté onion and chilies until soft for about 2 minutes, followed by the rest of the spices. Fry until fragrant, add peas and potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

4. Roll dough into a log and divide into six equal portions. Take a portion of the dough and roll into a 5-inch round and cut into half. Take a piece of the half circle and gently moisten with some water around the edges. Take the two corners and shape into a cone. Use your fingers to pinch to seal the edges. Hold the cone between your thumb and fingers (like holding an ice cream cone) and stuff the inside with samosa filling. Pinch and seal the top openings to close the edges and make sure no fillings is poking through the dough. Do the same to the rest of the dough.

5. Heat oil in deep frying pan on high until bubbling, reduce to medium heat. Using a ladle slowly drop 2-3 samosas into the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.Tips: The oil is hot enough when you insert a dry chopstick and it is bubbling at the chopstick tip. It should register between 350 and 375 F. Always add enough oil to submerge the food to be deep-fried, making sure there is enough space at the top of the pot or wok for the oil level to rise when the food is dropped in.

Cook's note: You can freeze uncooked samosas for at least a week. Simply heat oil and fry them.

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Tangy Mint Sauce

This is another delightful sauce to serve with Samosas. It is made with cilantro, mint and jazz up with lemon juice. It is easy and simple to make.

Ingredients:
1 big bunch of cilantro, washed
½ cup mint leaves, washed
1 green serrano chili, chopped and seeds removed
½ tsp. cumin powder
1 small piece of ginger
juice from 3 lemons
3 Tbsp. sugar
3-4 Tbsp. warm water
1 tsp. oil
salt to taste
Method:
1. Blend all the above ingredients, except the cilantro and mint leaves into a fine paste. Add the cilantro and mint in batches and blend. Add some more water if needed. Season and adjust taste with lemon juice and sugar. Remove and store in refrigerator or freeze them immediately to retain it's green color.
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Tamarind and Date Sauce

This is a tangy and sweet sauce to serve with Samosas. It is made with concentrated tamarind paste and dried dates. You can easily get the tamarind paste in Indian grocery stores.
Ingredients:
½ cup tamarind paste
½ cup chopped dried dates
2 Tbsp. sugar
¼ cup water
Method:

1. Blend the above ingredients to a smooth texture. Remove and pour mixture into a small saucepan cook on medium heat to dissolve sugar. Season to taste with more sugar or add enough water if mixture is too thick.
2. Remove from heat and store in refrigerator for up to a week.
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Couscous with Spinach & Sundried Tomatoes

Couscous is pasta made from semolina (the hard part of wheat) and shape into pellets that resembles tiny grains of pasta. There are a few variety of couscous: Moroccan, Israeli and Lebanese. The former is the most common and cooks quickly, while the latter two are larger in size and take longer to cook. To complement and enhance the flavor you can add an endless selection of ingredients. One of my favorites is chopped nuts, cheese and dried fruits to give it an exotic flair. Here’s my recipe for this Mediterranean-inspired dish. You can also serve this as a side dish with your meat dishes. Enjoy!

Israeli couscous

Ingredients:
1 cup Israeli couscous or Moroccan couscous
1 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 bunch baby spinach
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ cup dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup raisins
½ cup toasted pine nuts or almonds
1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
a pinch of salt
dash of paprika
crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Method:
1. In a saucepan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and sauté couscous over medium heat until it is light browned about 5 minutes. Slowly add in the vegetable or chicken broth (if used) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and keep warm while you prepared the rest of the ingredients. Note: If using Moroccan couscous, bring water or broth to a boil and add couscous. Cover and remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a skillet, sauté onions and garlic in some oil until tender. Stir in dried spices, tomatoes, and raisins. Fry until well mixed and fragrant. Add in spinach to cook until slightly wilted, then add in the pine nuts.
3. Using a fork to fluff the cooked couscous and mix it with the spinach mixture. Season to taste and sprinkle lemon zest or feta cheese (if used) on top. You can serve this as a side dish for those of you who love
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Five Herbal Soup

Soups are important in most traditional Chinese household. This is one of my favorite as it is nutritious and easy to prepare. It is good to have this soup any day of the week as it is energizes the Qi and nourishes the body. The herbs can be found in Chinese medicinal halls or Chinese supermarkets.

Ingredients: (serves 2-4)
10 pieces "Tong Sum" (codonopsis pilosula)
10 pieces "Wai San" (rhizoma dioscoreae)
10 pieces "Park Kei" (astragulus root)
½ cup "Kei chi" or wolfberries (fructus lycii)
10 dried red dates
2 lbs pork bones
1-2 lbs lean pork

Method:
1. Rinse pork bones and cut meat into thick chunks. Add meat and enough water to a big pot and bring to a rolling boil. Remove and rinse off the scums and impurities until water runs clear.
2. Add enough water to cover the meat and return to stove and bring to a boil. Cut dried herbs in short lengths and add into the soup. Cook on high heat uncover for about 10 minutes. Return lid to the pot and simmer on low for about 3 hours or until meat is soft and soup is fragrant from the herbs. Season with salt.
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