Sarawak Laksa

Serves 5

Ingredients:

350g Sarawak Laksa paste

2 litres chicken stock

300 ml thick coconut milk

400g thick rice vermicelli noodles

800gm prawn skin (oven roast)

3 stalk of lemon grass

300gm ginger

350 gm shallot

Toppings:

50g beansprouts, blanched

100g chicken breast fillet, cooked and shredded

5 large prawns, cooked, shelled if desired

1 nos Fried beancurd/ cut into cube

Garnish:

2 eggs, made into an omelette and shredded & wedges boiled egg

2 stalks coriander leaves, chopped

3 calamansi (kasturi) limes, halved

100gm sliced spring oinion

Sambal:

30g garlic

50g shallots

100g onion

50g dried chillies, soaked in hot water

30g shrimps, soaked and drained

6-8 tbsp oil

50g chilli paste (such as cili boh)

30g (1 tbsp) tamarind paste, mixed with 3 tbsp water

1 tbsp sugar, or to taste

½ tsp salt, or to taste

Directions:

1.For the gravy, boil the laksa paste in chicken stock, lemon grass, ginger, shallot & prawn skin for 45 minutes in slow heat. Strain into a pot. Add the coconut milk and stir until well mixed. Season to taste with salt and sugar.

2.Soak the dried vermicelli to soften and blanch with hot water. Place noodles in a bowl and add the toppings in the order listed. Ladle hot laksa gravy over.

3.Garnish with the shredded omelette, coriander, spring onion and lime halves. Serve with the sambal.

4.To prepare sambal, place the garlic, shallots, onion, dried chilies and dried shrimps in an electric blender and process to a fine paste.

5.Heat the cooking oil and fry the blended ingredients until brown and aromatic. Add the chili paste and tamarind juice and season to taste with sugar and salt. Cook for 25 minutes over a slow fire.