Laksa Lemak (Noodles in Spicy Coconut Gravy)

This is a favorite Singapore dish. Laksa is a meeting of Chinese and Malay styles of cooking, with a remarkably happy result: rice flour noodles bathed in a spicy coconut milk, with chucks of seafood and deep-fried beancurd. A very satisfying snack or luncheon dish.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoon of oil
• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• 3 1/2 oz shrimps
• 3 1/2 oz squid (cleaned, skinned and sliced)
• 6 fresh scallop (optional)
• 6 cakes dried deep-fried beancurd
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10 oz vermicelli (soaked in hot water to soften)
• 1 cup of beansprout
• 1 egg (hard-boiled, peeled and sliced)
• 2 tablespoon fried shallots
• 2 sprigs laksa leaf, chopped roughly

Spice Paste

• 12 shallots
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 6 candle nuts
• 2 inch ginger root
• 4 red chillies
• 2 tablespoon of dried prawns, soaked to soften
• 2 tablespoons fish curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (belacan)
• 2 lemon grass, bruised

Prepare the spice paste first. Chopped the shallots, garlic, candle nuts, ginger root and chillies coarsely and blend or process with the dried shrimps and add a little oil until fine. Mix in the curry powder and dried shrimp paste, blend for a fe seconds longer, then set aside with lemon grass.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok or heavy pan. Add the spice paste and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until paste is fragrant. Add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to boil, stirring. Put all seafood and the beancurd and simmer until cooked. Season to taste.

To serve, divide the noodles and beansprouts into 4 bowls. Top with the coconut milk gravy, eggs and sprinkle lasksa leaves and fried shallots.

Helpful hints
The coconut milk gravy can be prepared several hours in advance and reheated just before serving. Although lasksa leaves adds a distinctive touch, omit if not available as nothing else taste remotely like this pungent herb.