Laksa – Spicy curry soup with a twist..

This is a complete recipe I have found to add to the recipe collection:

• 3 tablespoons of oil
• 2 cups of coconut milk
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) of prawns, shelled
• 100g (3 1/2 oz) of squid, cleaned, skinned and sliced
• 6 fresh scallops (optional)
• 6 cakes dried deep-fried beancurd (tau foo pok)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 200g (7 oz) of fresh rice-flour noodles (laksa), blanched in boiling water, or dried rice vermicelli (beehoon), soaked to soften
• 1 cup of beansprouts
• 2 sprigs laksa leaf, chopped roughly
• 6 quail’s eggs or 1 hen’s egg, hard-boiled and peeled
• 2 table spoons of fried shallots

For Spice Paste:
• 12 shallots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6 candlenuts
• 5 cm (2 inches) ginger
• 4 red chillies
• 2 tablespoons of dried prawns, soaked to soften
• 1 teaspoon of dried shrimp paste (belacan)
• 2 lemon grass, bruised.

How to cook Curry Laksa

Prepare the spice paste. Chop the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, ginger and chillies coarsely and blend or process with the dried prawns and a little of the oil until fine. Then, mix in the curry powder and dried shrimp paste, blend for a few seconds longer, then set aside with the lemon grass.

Heat the remaining oil in a wok or a heavy pan.
Add the spice paste and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes until the paste is fragrant. After that, add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to the boil, stirring.
Put in all the seafood and the beancurd and simmer until it is cooked.Then, season to taste.
Lastly, to serve, divide the noodles and beansprouts among 4-6 bowls. Top with the coconut milk gravy, eggs and sprinkle with laksa leaf and fried shallots.