Recipe: Sarawak Laksa

One of my favorite Malaysian noodle dish is laksa. There are many different types of laksa - curry laksa (with coconut based curry soup), assam laksa (sourish fish-based soup) and each state also have their own specialty.

It was only last year that I got my first taste of Sarawak laksa and I instantly fell in love with it. Sarawak laksa's broth is made with a paste of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, galangal, lemongrass, herbs and spices, chicken stock and coconut milk. Fortunately for me, I won a packet of Sarawak paste from Kelly's giveaway last year which I finally put into good use last week.

A traditional bowl of Sarawak laksa comes with meehoon (rice vermicelli), omelette strips, shredded chicken, beansprouts, prawns, fresh coriander and lime. First and foremost, the chicken is poached in the chicken stock and set aside, then the stock is simmered with the Sarawak laksa paste and prawns shells and heads for 30 minutes. I also saw on Arthur's blog that one can use ikan bilis (dried anchovies) in lieu of prawn shells, which is what I did the second time I cooked it since I ran out of prawns shells/heads. Because the paste has a lot of herbs and spices, it needs to be strained and coconut milk is added to the broth before serving. Just before eating, add a squeeze of lime for the perfect bowl.

My family absolutely loved it (even my kids each enjoyed a small bowl of it), so much so that I cooked it twice in one week! The broth is really tasty - it has a unique and aromatic peppery taste, with a sourish end note. It is also very appetizing (and not too rich/heavy), that you just don't want to stop until you've licked the bowl clean. I honestly do think this is one of the best laksa variants around.

Love all the toppings!

Sarawak Laksa
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from here
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40-45 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
100g chicken breast, skin removed
800ml chicken stock
100g Sarawak laksa paste
8-10 king prawns, shelled and deveined with tails intact (reserve shells for stock) or 15g anchovies
1/2 grated coconut, squeezed to yield approx. 100ml thick coconut milk

For the omelette
1 egg
A dash of soy sauce
1 tbsp cooking oil

2 handfuls of beansprouts
100g rice vermicelli, soaked for 2 mins
Coriander/parsley, for garnish
Red chillies, sliced, for garnish
2 calamansi limes, halved

1. Place chicken stock in a saucepan, then bring to the boil. Once boiling, place chicken in and lower to a simmer and simmer for about 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, turn off the heat and leave the chicken to steep for another 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Once cool, shred the chicken using 2 forks.

2. Turn on the heat and add the laksa paste and prawn shells/head (or dried anchovies). Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Sarawak laksa paste

3. Beat egg and season with a dash of light soy sauce. In a separate pan, heat the oil and add the egg. Cook each side for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Once cool, cut into thin long strips using a sharp knife.

4. Bring a pot of water to boil in a separate pot. Over medium heat, blanch the rice vermicelli for about 2 minutes,or until cooked, to manufacturer's instruction. Remove and set aside. Blanch the beansprouts for about 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.

5. Strain the stock through a sieve from Step 2 to remove the prawn shells/ laksa paste residue / ikan bilis. Bring the stock back to the boil and blanch the prawns in the stock for about 20 seconds, or until cooked. Remove and set aside. Add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Taste and season with salt or chicken stock granules as necessary.

6. To assemble, place rice vermicelli in bowl, topped with shredded chicken, beansprouts, prawns and omelette. Ladle over hot soup, then garnish with red chillies, coriander/parsley and calamansi lime. Just before eating, squeeze over the lime. Enjoy!

Note:
1. If you do not have prawn shells for the stock, you can replace with 15g dried anchovies (ikan bilis). If you cannot get hold of grated fresh coconut, then replace with packet coconut milk.
2. I used "Cap Helang Matahari" laksa paste - 300g pack can serve 6 pax. For every 100g of paste, use 800ml of chicken stock.