Ingredients
| FOR THE CHILLI SAMBAL / MAKES ¾ CUP | |
| 6 dried red chillies | |
| 3 fresh red chillies, seeds removed | |
| 2 teaspoons belacan shrimp paste | |
| 4 shallots, sliced | |
| ½ cup vegetable oil | |
| 1 teaspoon salt | |
| 1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar | |
| FOR THE LAKSA PASTE / MAKES 1 ¾ CUP | |
| 12 dried chillies, torn and seeds removed | |
| 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional but very delicious) | |
| 3 fresh red chillies | |
| 1 tablespoon belacan shrimp paste | |
| 4 cloves garlic | |
| 5 cm piece galangal, sliced | |
| 5 cm piece turmeric, sliced | |
| 3 shallots, sliced | |
| 2 lemongrass stems, chopped | |
| 8 candlenuts (or use 8 macadamia or 4 Brazil nuts) | |
| ¼ cup vegetable oil | |
| FOR THE SOUP | |
| 2 tablespoons vegetable oil | |
| ½ cup laksa paste | |
| 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk | |
| 1 litre chicken stock | |
| 1 teaspoon salt | |
| ½ cup Vietnamese mint leaves, shredded plus extra for garnishing | |
| 1 tablespoon fish sauce | |
| 1 teaspoon palm or brown sugar | |
| ½ x 150g packet fried tofu puffs, cut in half | |
| 1 x 250g packet fish balls | |
| 400g firm fish fillets such as trevally (purse seine) or kingfish (set net), cut into bite-sized pieces | |
| 1 bunch asparagus, cut into thin slivers | |
| 1 x 500g bag egg noodles (or use rice or vermicelli noodles) | |
| 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved | |
| bean sprouts | |
| fried shallots | |
| lime wedges and extra juice, to serve |
Laksa is a dish that has variations throughout southeast Asia from Indonesia through to Thailand. Chicken is often added to the mix, as are fresh prawns; asparagus isn’t traditional but I like to add it when in season. Make large batches of both the sambal and the laksa paste then refrigerate or freeze. If you can’t find candlenuts use macadamias or a few Brazil nuts.
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE CHILLI SAMBAL |
| 2. | Break up the dried chillies and remove most of the seeds. |
| 3. | Cover with boiling water and set aside for 30 minutes to soften. |
| 4. | Drain but reserve the water. |
| 5. | Put into a blender with the fresh chillies, shrimp paste and shallots and blend to a smooth paste adding a little of the reserved water if needed. |
| 6. | Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the chilli mix and fry gently, stirring frequently for 10-15 minutes until thick, stir through the salt and sugar and put into a clean sterilised jar (it should keep refrigerated for weeks). |
| 7. | FOR THE LAKSA PASTE |
| 8. | In separate bowls soak the dried chillies and shrimp in warm water for 30 minutes to soften. |
| 9. | Drain and reserve the shrimp water. |
| 10. | Put the chillies and shrimp into a blender with the remaining ingredients and blend to a smooth paste adding the shrimp water as required to get a smooth paste. |
| 11. | Keep refrigerated in clean sterilised jars or freeze in ice cubes and store frozen in ziplock bags. |
| 12. | FOR THE SOUP |
| 13. | Heat the oil in a large pan and add the laksa paste. |
| 14. | Fry for 8-10 minutes until the oil separates from the paste, then add half the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes. |
| 15. | Add the chicken stock, the rest of the coconut milk, salt, Vietnamese mint, fish sauce and sugar. |
| 16. | Simmer gently for 20 minutes. |
| 17. | Add the tofu puffs, fish balls and fish and cook until just heated through, about 4-5 minutes. |
| 18. | Add the asparagus just before serving. |
| 19. | Adjust the seasoning, adding more fish sauce and some lime juice if necessary. |
| 20. | Meanwhile, pour boiling water over the fresh egg noodles for a minute, drain and put into bowls. |
| 21. | Ladle over the broth, ensuring an even distribution of the tofu, fish balls and fish. |
| 22. | Top each bowl with an egg, bean sprouts, shallots, a spoonful of sambal, the remaining Vietnamese mint and lime wedges. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Ellen J Hemmings
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