PENANG ASAM LAKSA (NOODLES IN SPICY - SOUR FISH BROTH)

Penang asam laksa was voted seven out of 50 most delicious food in the world.(by CNN back in 2011).
This dish is my family's all time favorite. Here is the way how I made this dish. Actually this dish is easy to make except that it is a bit time consuming to separate the  fish flesh from the bone.

PENANG ASAM LAKSA

Ingredients

1 1/2 kg of fish (mackerel)

2.5 L of water

1 bunch of polygonum leaves

10 pieces of tamarind peel

salt and sugar to taste

2 packets of Laksa noodles

Spices blended into paste

20 dries chilies, soak to soften

15 shallots

3 lemon grass

3 small cubes of  dried prawn paste (belacan)

Garnishing

2 cucumbers

2 big onions

3 stalks of salad vegetables

3 ginger flower

  bunch of mint

4 hard -boiled eggs

prawm paste 

Methods

1. Gut and  clean the fish thoroughly.

2. Boil 1.5 liters of water in a pot. Put in the fish. Boil for ten minutes

Let the fish sit in that hot bath for 10 minutes.

3. While waiting for the fish to be cooked, blend the spices.

4. When the fish is ready dish out,let cool and debone the fish.. Do not throw away the fish stock.

5. Put in polygonum and tamarind peels in to the fish stock let it simmer while deboning the fish.

6. Blend the fish bones with the remaining water. Strain.

7. Discard the polygonum leaves and the tamarind peels from the stock.

8. Put in the blended spices and water from No 6.

9. Boil the stock. season to taste.

10. Prepare the garnishing ingredients.

11. Cook the laksa noodles in boiling water. Drain.

12. Assemble the laksa.Swirl a handful of laksa noodles into a bowl. Ladle the fish broth over the noodles.

      Garnish with sliced onions, cucumber, ginger flowers and salad and of course the prawn paste which will 

      give the noodle that oomph! Enjoy!

Enjoy  eating 

 Enjoy your life!

KIMCHEE SEAWEED NOODLES SOUP

My colleague gave some kimchee the other day(all the way from Korea) and it has been sitting in the fridge for a number of days. since it is a pickle  it wont get spoilt easily.

Source from WIKIPEDIA ; Kimchi (Korean: 김치 Korean pronunciation: [kimtɕʰi]; English pronunciation: /ˈkɪmtʃi/), also spelled kimchee or gimchi, is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. It is often described as "spicy" or "sour". ^[1][2][3] In traditional preparation Kimchi was often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months at a time.^[4] It is Korea's national dish, and there are hundreds of varieties made with a main vegetable ingredient such as napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber.^[5] Kimchi is also a main ingredient for many Korean dishes such as kimchi stew (김치찌개; kimchi jjigae), kimchi pancake (김치부침개; kimchijeon), kimchi soup (김칫국; kimchiguk), and kimchi fried rice (김치볶음밥; kimchi bokkeumbap).

I have kimchee

this packet of seaweed is given by a friend too(from Korea)

 I have some yellow noodles in the fridge, so let us make  kimchee seaweed noodles soup

KIMCHEE SEAWEED NOODLES SOUP

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (500 ml) of chicken broth/stock

200 g of yellow noodles

150 g of kimchee

1 packet of seaweed., cut into strips

5 prawns (shelled)

10 pieces of sliced chicken 

1 piece of fish cake, sliced

1 egg

1 stalk of mustard green(any green leafy of your choice)

METHOD

1. Bring 2 cups of chicken stock to a boil.

2. Put in kimchee, let it cook for 2 minutes.

3. Put in the sliced chicken,fish cake slices and the yellow noodles. Let it cook for a minute.

4. Lastly put in prawn and vegetable, give it a quick stir. crack in an egg, off the fire .

5. Pour soup into a serving bowl, top with seaweed.

6. Top with extra kimchee if you love them.

love the crunchiness of the kimchee

ENJOY

PUMPKIN AND TOMATO LAKSA

Laksa laksa.....What/how is your version? For the Penang( a small state in the northern part of Malaysia) people laksa means a bowl of white noodles served in spicy sour fish soup/broth garnish with cucumber, onions, mint leaves, pineapple and of course prawn paste.  This is asam laksa. Drooling? In Singapore when you ask for laksa they will give you a bowl of curry mee/noodles. So different place has different version of laksa. Today i am not going to share with you the recipe for asam laksa but another version of laksa without fish. It is called PUMPKIN AND TOMATO LAKSA. This recipe is from the cookbook "Best of the Best" the best recipes from the 25 best cookbooks of the year. Thanks to my girl for the recipe book.


 PUMPKIN AND TOMATO LAKSA

Ingredients

9 ounces of pumpkin
5 small red bird's eye chilies(i used big chilies)
4 cloves  garlic
1 lump of ginger.. size of your thumb
2 lemon grass
6 stalks of Cilantro + the root
6 lime leaves
13/4 cups of coconut milk
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
24 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp Nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1/2 lemon
Mint leaves
Noodles

Method

1. Cut the pumpkin into chunks and steam for 12 to15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Blend chilies,garlic,ginger,lemon grass, lime leaves and roots and stem of cilantro into a pulp.
3. Place a fairly deep pot over a moderate heat, add the  blended spice pulp and fry it,(without oil) moving it
    the pot so it does not scorch.Do this for a minute or two, then pour in the stock and coconut milk and
    bring to a boil.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the soup with the nam pla and lemon juice. This will take
    7 to 10 minutes to cook.
5. Add the pumpkin and continue cooking for a minute or two.
6. Place a swirl of  cooked noodles in bowl and pour the laksa over and add the mint and the remaining
    cilantro.

     It is simple, right?

 cilantro

Cherry tomatoes

Drooling!!!

HAPPY COOKING AND ENJOY...

Note: If cooking for vegetarian diet omit the nam pla (Thai fish sauce)., but i think it will be less oomp.