Around The World In Food

Around the world in food

Malaysia


Malaysian Food

Laksa Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 pack (120g) Malaysian instant curry paste
  • 2 cups chicken stock (1 can)
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, pounded)
  • 5 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
  • 10 tofu puffs, cut into pieces
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • Salt to taste
  • Yellow noodles
  • Vermicelli
  • Bean sprouts
  • 10 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
  • Fish cakes, cut into pieces

Method

  1. In a stockpot, add the oil and sauté the instant curry paste until aromatic.
  2. Add the chicken broth, water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, tofu puffs and bring the stock to a boil.
  3. Lower the heat to a simmer. Add coconut milk and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock on simmer.
  4. Rinse the yellow noodles, drain and set aside.
  5. Soak the dry vermicelli with some warm water until soft, drain and set aside.
  6. To assemble a bowl of laksa for serving, bring to boil some yellow noodles, vermicelli, and a handful of bean sprouts. Drain the noodles and transfer to a serving bowl.
  7. Top the noodles with 2-3 shrimp, a few pieces of fish cake, and 1-2 egg quarters.
  8. Using a ladle, pour the laksa broth and a few pieces of tofu puffs on top of the noodles.
  9. Serve immediately.

Nasi Lemak Recipe

Ingredients

    • 2 cups of rice
    • 3 screwpine leaves (tie them into a knot as shown above)
    • Salt to taste
    • 1 small can of coconut milk (5.6 oz size)
    • Some water
    • 1 cup of water
    • Tamarind pulp (size of a small ping pong ball)
    • 1/2 red onion
    • 1 cup ikan bilis (dried anchovies)
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 4 shallots
    • 10 dried chillies
    • 1 teaspoon of belacan (prawn paste)
    • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
    • 1 tablespoon of sugar
    • 2 hard boiled eggs (cut into half)
    • 3 small fish (sardines or smelt fish)
    • 1 small cucumber (cut into slices and then quartered)

    Method

    1. Just like making steamed rice, rinse your rice and drain.
    2. Add the coconut milk, a pinch of salt, and some water. Add the pandan leaves into the rice and cook your rice.
    3. Rinse the dried anchovies and drain the water. Fry the anchovies until they turn light brown and put aside.
    4. Pound the prawn paste together with shallots, garlic, and deseeded dried chilies with a mortar and pestle. You can also grind them with a food processor.
    5. Slice the red onion into rings.
    6. Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind constantly to extract the flavor into the water. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.
    7. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant.
    8. Add in the onion rings.
    9. Add in the ikan bilis and stir well.
    10. Add tamarind juice, salt, and sugar.
    11. Simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens. Set aside.
    12. Clean the small fish, cut them into half and season with salt. Deep fry.
    13. Cut the cucumber into slices and then quartered into four small pieces.
    14. Dish up the steamed coconut milk rice and pour some sambal ikan bilis on top of the rice.
    15. Serve with fried fish, cucumber slices, and hard-boiled eggs.