Assam Laksa recipe, please?
I have been trolling the database and boards and websites looking for a good Assam Laksa (Malaysian curried seafood & noodle soup, with coconut milk in it) and I'm having some trouble finding one that fits the bill. Has anyone tried successfully to make this at home? If so, would you care to share your recipe? I would prefer a seafood based one, as opposed to just chicken or veg.
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14 Comments:
Would a Prawn Laksa recipe do? BBC ~ Food.com
I have the recipe, but not real good at attaching links
● 50 g medium rice noodles, we like Blue Dragon
● 2-3 tbsp laksa paste
● 400 ml tin half-fat coconut milk
● 500 ml chicken stock
● 150 g cooked large prawns, from a sustainable source
● a handful bean sprouts
● ¼ cucumber, seeds removed and cut into strips
● a small bunch coriander
Directions:
Put the noodles in a bowl, pour over boiling water and leave to soften, about 5-7 minutes.
Heat a pan, add the laksa paste and a splash of coconut milk. Fry for 3-4 minutes, add the coconut milk and stock, stir, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the prawns and heat through. Stir in the beansprouts. Put the noodles in two bowls, ladle soup over, and top with cucumber and coriander.
izatryt at 4:04PM on 01/07/09
Thanks, izatryt. That sounds good. I guess the laksa paste has curry in it? I was surprised not to see curry powder in the list of ingredients. I want to try making this with a variety of shellfish, such as scallops and mussels, with the addition of shrimp.
juliebugsmama at 4:12PM on 01/07/09
I didn't think Assam Laksa used coconut milk. Did you google Curry Laksa?
izatryt at 4:20PM on 01/07/09
I may be confusing my Laksas...I know there are so many.
There is a Pan-Asian sushi bar/resto near where I work (Pacific Rim Bistro) and they used to serve what they called "Laksa Noodles" and it was described (I'm reading off the takeout menu here) as: "Malaysian Spicy Seafood Bouillabaisse Accompanied by Bean Sprouts and Rice Noodles in a Rich Coconut Broth." It had a variety of shellfish in it, definitely a strong curry flavor, but made absolutely heavenly and slightly creamy by the coconut milk...they have since stopped serving it, much to my chagrin. I used to order it at least once a week. I miss it and want to try and recreate it. I thought the term "Assam" meant seafood, but I could be totally off. Help?
juliebugsmama at 4:27PM on 01/07/09
Have you checked rasamalaysia? I usually check her site for anything Malay/Thai/curry-ish stuff.
wookie at 4:30PM on 01/07/09
@wookie...no, I've never checked that. thanks for the tip.
juliebugsmama at 4:32PM on 01/07/09
here's the link: http://www.rasamalaysia.com/2008/02/recipe-penang-assam-laksa.html
and according to rasamalaysia "assam" means tamarind.
wookie at 4:32PM on 01/07/09
I am by far not an expert, but I understand Assam Laksa would be a sour flavored soup (with fish) without coconut milk or curry. But, when you are ordering in a restaurant there are indeed liberties taken to make the dish unique to their menu.
izatryt at 4:40PM on 01/07/09
I'd suggest asking the restaurant if they'd part with the recipe. I'll bet it something they concocted themselves rather than a traditional recipe.
dbcurrie at 11:57PM on 01/07/09
@dbcurrie -- I've asked and they aren't telling. Also, they took it off the menu for reasons they wouldn't divulge. It really was the perfect bowl of Laksa though...slightly sour, seductively creamy without being thick, the broth was spicy and tasted of the sea, the noodles were perfectly cooked and the combo of shellfish was fabulous. They'd top it with lime juice and mint and when I say that I consumed probably a quart a week, I am not lying (of course, this was when money was not so tight....).
juliebugsmama at 9:04AM on 01/08/09
Julie hope this helps
Assam Laksa
[Noodles in Tangy Fish Gravy]
Ingredients
2 lb fresh or dried thick round rice noodle
3 oz tamarind paste
10 cups water
2-2½ lb fresh wolf herring [ikan parang] or Spanish mackerel - cleaned, kept whole
3 heaped tbsp sugar
salt and pepper
14 sprigs laksa leaves [Vietnamese mint or polygonum odoratum] [Substitute: fresh mint sprigs]
2 wild ginger buds [bunga kantan] [Substitute: 4 inch fresh ginger]
4 pieces dried tamarind skins [asam gelugor] [Substitute: ½ cup key lime juice]
3 tbsp prawn paste [haeko - pronounced 'hey-ko', otak udang in Malay], mixed with 1 cup warm water [optional]
6-8 garlic
5 stalks lemon grass, thinly sliced
8 oz shallots
1 inch fresh turmeric root [lengkuas]
3 tbsp or to taste, chili paste
1½ tbsp belacan , also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]
[Items in red to be ground or blended]
Ingredients for Garnishing :
1 large seedless cucumber, skinned and thinly shredded
2 red onions, very finely sliced
1 fresh pineapple, cut into thin strips [Substitute: 4 or 6 oz canned pineapple]
10 sprigs fresh mint leaves, stems discarded
1 torch ginger [bunga kantan], finely chopped [optional]
4 red Serrano chilies, seeded and finely sliced [optional]
Prawn paste [locally called haeko, or otak udang, in Malay] [optional]
Cook's Note : haeko [pronounced 'hey-ko'] [spelling varies] or Prawn Paste [Otak Udang, in Malay] is made much like belacan; but is different in consistency and tastes a little sweet. It's black in color with a thick consistency like molasses.
Directions
To Prepare Gravy : Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind garlic, lemongrass, fresh turmeric, shallots, chili paste and belacan into a paste
Soak tamarind in 8 oz of warm water, squeeze and sieve into a saucepan - repeat 3 times with the same water, pour into a stockpot
Bring tamarind water to a boil, add ground paste, sugar, laksa leaves, wild ginger buds, asam gelugur [dried tamarind slices], season with salt and pepper, boil rapidly for 15 min
Add cleaned whole fish, immediately reduce heat to low, simmer gently until fish is cooked, about 15 min
Carefully remove fish from stock, let fish cool, remove & discard bones, flake the fish meat, set aside
Simmer stock uncovered for 20-30 mins to reduce and intensify flavor
Remove and discard the laksa leaves, wild ginger buds and dried tamarind skins [assam gelugur]
Add the cooked flaked fish meat to the stock [with the fish meat added, it should be a light gravy-like consistency]
Taste for salt and add accordingly. Keep gravy hot on low heat, for serving
nhfoodie at 9:28AM on 01/08/09
Different parts of Malaysia use differing names for their laksas. The recipe linked above to rasamalaysia is a Penang Assam Laksa, which is a specialty of the Penang peninsula in Malaysia, It does not contain coconut milk or curry, and is a slightly sour/tangy soup. What juliebugsmama describes is most likely what is called a Curry Mee in Penang, but is called a Curry Laksa in other parts of Malaysia and in Singapore. Rasamalaysia's Curry Mee recipe is here: http://www.rasamalaysia.com/2008/10/curry-meecurry-laksa-recipe.html.
anonymoose at 12:01PM on 01/08/09
I would second what anonymoose has mentioned, and that looks like a pretty authentic Penang Laksa recipe from nhfoodie. Yum!
That BBC recipe looks extremely misguided..neither assam or lumak.
juliebugsmama, you should go with the Penang Laksa recipe...albeit long, it's worth the effort. Good luck.
Pintchow at 4:29PM on 01/08/09
The NY Times ran an interesting article on Jan 6, 2009 about curry laksa and many variations of asian chicken noodle soups from Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. Not so much a recipe article, but interesting discussion of the many variations. Sounds good!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/dining/07laksa.html (may need free registration to see it)
Remander at 11:10PM on 01/08/09