Hello everyone! It has been two weeks since the last newsletter and in this time, the weather has been really crazy! Hot in the day and extremely cold at night! Winter around Sydney can get pretty wet too so do not forget to bring your umbrella when going out - it is better to be prepared then to be caught in the rain and being stuck at a place or falling sick from it.
Curry Laksa
As the winter holidays approach, many international students and residents in Sydney have started to escape the wet and cold weather in Sydney and head for warmer shores. For those who will be staying in Sydney, fret not! Here at Malaysia Festival, we've got you covered! This week, we'll be bringing you a dish that you could make at home easily to cheer you up! It is called 'laksa' or more widely known as curry laksa in Sydney.
Laksa is a spicy popular dish that have originated from Malaysian and Singapore which consist of of a spicy coconut and curry soup base served with noodles and many other ingredients. This dish is sure to keep you warm during those cold nights and is a perfect dish for serving at parties. Here's my recipe for it!
Serves 4-5
Broth Ingredients
½ pack, 120g of instant laksa paste. (You can get it from any Asian supermarket.)
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups water
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup coconut milk
Tofu Puffs
2 stalks of lemongrass (white part only, pounded, optional)
5 kaffir lime leaves (Optional)
Salt to taste
Other ingredients
Yellow Noodles
Vermicelli
Bean Sprouts
Hard Boiled Eggs
Fish Cake (sliced)
Steamed chicken breast, skin removed and shredded
Shrimp peeled, de-veined and cooked.
Method:
In a stockpot, add the oil and sauté the instant curry paste until aromatic.
Next, add the chicken broth, water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, tofu puffs and bring the stock to boil.
Lower the heat to simmer then add the coconut and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock on simmer.
Rinse the yellow noodles, drain and set aside. Soak the dry vermicelli with some warm water until soft, drained and set aside.
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.
Top the noodles with 2-3 shrimp or some shredded chicken, a few pieces of fish cake, and 1-2 egg quarters.
Using a ladle, pour the laksa broth and a few pieces of tofu puffs on top of the noodles.
Serve immediately.
I have made it a few times using Ayam brand laksa paste (No i'm not getting paid by them), all my friends love this dish as almost any ingredients you put in still come out tasting great and thus can cater for the different preferences they have.
By the way, last Sunday was Father’s day in Malaysia and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Dads in Malaysia a Happy Belated Father’s day! If you forgot about it, do not worry, there is still another chance to wish your dad, as father’s day in Australia, and cook him some laksa!
So till the next issue, Happy Holidays and I hope you will enjoy this week’s dish!
