MALAYSIAN SEAFOOD LAKSA - Cuisine Magazine - From New Zealand to the World

Ingredients

• FOR THE CHILLI SAMBAL / MAKES ¾ CUP
• 6 dried red chillies
• 3 fresh red chillies, seeds removed
• 2 teaspoons belacan shrimp paste
• 4 shallots, sliced
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
• FOR THE LAKSA PASTE / MAKES 1 ¾ CUP
• 12 dried chillies, torn and seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (optional but very delicious)
• 3 fresh red chillies
• 1 tablespoon belacan shrimp paste
• 4 cloves garlic
• 5 cm piece galangal, sliced
• 5 cm piece turmeric, sliced
• 3 shallots, sliced
• 2 lemongrass stems, chopped
• 8 candlenuts (or use 8 macadamia or 4 Brazil nuts)
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup laksa paste
• 1 x 400ml can of coconut milk
• 1 litre chicken stock
• ½ cup Vietnamese mint leaves, shredded plus extra for garnishing
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm or brown sugar
• ½ x 150g packet fried tofu puffs, cut in half
• 1 x 250g packet fish balls
• 400g firm fish fillets such as trevally (purse seine) or kingfish (set net), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into thin slivers
• 1 x 500g bag egg noodles (or use rice or vermicelli noodles)
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• bean sprouts
• fried shallots
• lime wedges and extra juice, to serve