Laksa Noodle Bowl

Laksa with Chicken and Shrimp

        I am sure that just about everyone has heard of Anthony Bourdain who became famous in the late 90's for his first book "Kitchen Confidential".  He exposed some of the messier sides of working and living in the restaurant industry.  You either loved it or hated it, I loved it!  

        Not only did he discuss a lot of things I could relate too, he was also philosophical and irreverent in his opinions about food and life.

        He went on to have several food related shows and have quite a career before his untimely death a couple years ago.  A great memoir to him was published a year after his death with many pictures and quotes of those who had met him and whose lives he had touched.  I admit I shed a few tears reading through the book, knowing that there would be no new stories from him.

        He wrote some fiction and some travel books that tied in with his TV shows, exploring food around the world, as well as some cookbooks.  His Led Halle's cookbook has some great recipes and there are a couple recipes where his personality really shines through, but his Appetites cook book really is like being in the kitchen with him for each of the recipes.  Like cooking with an old friend.

        Laksa is a Maritime Asian noodle dish that is a blend of Chinese and Oceana cultures.  A flavorful broth heated to boiling, poured over rice noodles, shrimp, chicken, egg, beansprouts and cilantro.  I modified a little based on what I had on hand but I think that is kind of the point of this kind of a meal.  I started with homemade broth but you can use store bought or even a bullion base if you prefer.  

        Below is his recipe with a few modifications that I made, for instance he uses a bone in chicken breast which is fine and can add a little bit of flavor to the the broth but it won't add that much as it isn't cooked for very long.  The recipes for laksa paste and sambal belecam are include, again with slight modifications as noted below.  If there is an Asian market near you, you can purchase both of these there and save the time of making them yourself.

Now, Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

Laksa

            2 qt. Stock

            1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

            ¾ c Laksa Paste (recipe Below)

            16 Jumbo Shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved

            2 Eggs

            2 t Soy Sauce

            1 T Vegetable Oil

            8 oz. Rice Vermicelli

4 c Boiling Water

¾ c Coconut Milk

            2 c Bean Sprouts

            ¼ c Cilantro Leaves

            Sliced Red Chilis for Garnish

            Lime Wedges for Garnish

            Sambal Belecam (recipe below) or other hot sauce if desired

 

1.     Bring stock to a boil and add chicken breast, cook 12 minutes.  Turn off pot and let sit 12 more minutes

2.     Remove chicken from stock and shred meat, set aside

3.     Return pot to stove with laksa paste and shrimp shells, simmer 30 minutes

4.    Whisk eggs and soy sauce together in a bowl and heat a cast iron pan with oil

5.    Add eggs to hot pan and cook 2 minutes, flip and cook another minute and a half

6.    Put egg on a plate to cool slightly and cut into strips

7.    Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour over the rice vermicelli in a bowl, stir them to keep from sticking and let them sit for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside

8.    Strain the stock and bring back to a simmer and add shrimp to cook through, then remove and set aside

9.     Add coconut milk to the broth and bring to a boil then remove from heat

10.   Divide the chicken, shrimp, vermicelli, sprouts and egg among bowls

11.   Ladle broth over and serve with cilantro, chili peppers, lime wedges and sambal belecam

 

I like making things like this laksa paste, however this recipe makes a lot which is fine as it can be canned or frozen for use later.  I made it without the hot peppers and then made a small batch with the hot peppers added to it.  The blend of flavors is very different and my youngest son said "It smells and tastes weird!"  I think it was the star anise and cardamom that he was tasting but overall everyone else liked it.  This would also be great added to stir-fries or if you want to make pad thai! 

 Laksa Paste

            5 Shallots, peeled

            3 cloves garlic, chopped

            ½ c Galangal, Chopped or ¼ c Ginger

            3 Stalks Lemon Grass, white parts only, chopped

2 oz Macadamia nuts

½ c Peanuts

¼ c Sesame Seeds

1 T Cumin Seeds

¼ c Coriander seeds

3 Star Anise

3 Cloves

½ t Nutmeg

5 Cardamom Pods

(2 Fresh Serrano Chili peppers) Leave out for mild sauce

1 c Soy Oil

2 ½ T Salt

2 T Brown Sugar

4oz Tamarind Paste

½ c Water

1.       Combine shallots through cardamom pods and process in batches to grind into a paste

2.       Heat oil and cook paste over medium low heat for 1 hour

3.       Stir in salt, sugar, tamarind and water and stir for about 20 minutes

This was adapted from a recipe I found on line that called for shrimp paste, I didn't have any but I did have dried shrimp (Doesn't everyone?)  You can leave it out although it does add to the final flavor profile.  You could use a teaspoon of fish sauce if you want or like I said above you can add your favorite hot sauce if you like or leave it out all together.

Sambal Belecam

            10 g Dried Shrimp
                        1 T Water
                        4 Serrano Chili Peppers
                        2 Lime Juice
                        1 t Sugar
                        1⁄4 t Salt

            1.       Reconstitute shrimp in water for 15 minutes

            2.       Combine all and process to a smooth paste

                        3.       Place in a clear jar and store in the refrigerator