malaysian cuisine

Think you know laksa? Think again. Singapore’s katong laksa is on a whole new level. I couldn’t get enough of the revered curried noodle soup dish when I was visiting, but then I got home. Into my kitchen. And I got busy. Lo and behold, this is the recipe you’ve been waiting for, where everything is made from scratch, with love, from the paste to the broth to the sambal. It may look like a lot to take in, but none of the steps themselves are tricky once you get down to it – it just takes a while. Settle in for the afternoon and enjoy a spot of cooking therapy. It’s worth it.

Singapore Katong Laksa | Marion&#039;s Kitchen

vegetable oil

milliliters (3 cups) coconut milk

tbsp grated palm sugar

fish sauce,

tbsp salt

(1 lb 5 oz) dried round rice noodles - laksa or rice vermicelli noodles

store-bought fish balls

(7 oz beanshoots

(5 oz) fried tofu puffs

(10.5 oz) blood cockles or clams, cooked, meat picked

Vietnamese mint leaves, to serve

Spice paste

shrimp

red chillies

5-6 small dried red chillies

tsp belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste)

coriander seeds

5-6 red Asian shallots, coarsely chopped

tbsp chopped galangal

tbsp chopped ginger

garlic cloves, chopped

lemongrass stalks, trimmed, bruised, finely sliced

macadamia nuts

tsp turmeric

Stock

shells and heads from the prawns

Chilli sambal

red chilies

5-6 fresh long red chillies

Asian red shallots,

garlic cloves,

tsp, firmly packed, shaved palm sugar

1.For the spice paste, cover the dried chillies with boiling water and leave to soak for 30 minutes, or until softened. Soak the dried shrimp in another bowl in hot water to cover for 20 minutes or until softened, then drain well, squeeze to remove excess water, then roughly chop. Transfer to a blender. (Psst… you’ll need to soak more chillies and dried shrimp for the sambal, so feel free to get that soaking done at this point too!)

2.Once the chillies are soft, squeeze them firmly to remove as much water as possible (reserve the soaking liquid for later), then roughly chop and transfer to the blender. Wrap the belacan in foil. Heat a small, heavy-based frypan over medium heat, then dry-fry the belacan for 2-3 minutes each side until fragrant. Cool, then unwrap and add to the blender.

3.Meanwhile, place a frying over medium heat and add the coriander seeds. Dry-roast, shaking the pan often, for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer the toasted coriander seeds to an electric spice grinder or a mortar, then process or grind with a pestle until a fine powder forms. Add to the blender with the chillies, as well as shallot, galangal, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, macadamias and shrimp. Process, adding a little of the chilli-soaking liquid as necessary, until a paste forms. Transfer to a bowl, then add the turmeric and stir until well combined (I add the turmeric at the end so it doesn’t stain my blender!).

4.To make the sambal, place the dried chillies and dried shrimp into two separate bowls. Pour boiling water over each to cover, then stand for 30 minutes or until softened. Meanwhile, wrap the belacan in foil. Heat a small, heavy-based frypan over medium heat, then dry-fry the belacan for 2-3 minutes each side until fragrant. Cool, then unwrap.

5.Drain the dried chillies well, squeezing to remove excess water. Use a small sharp knife or kitchen scissors to slit down the length of the dried chillies, then use your knife to scrape out and discard the seeds (they’ll make the sambal taste bitter otherwise). Roughly chop. Deseed the fresh chillies and roughly chop. Drain the dried shrimp well, squeezing to remove excess water. Roughly chop into chunks.

6.Place the dried and fresh chilli, dried shrimp, belacan, shallot, garlic, palm sugar, 1½ tbsp water and 1 tbsp of the oil in a small food processor, then process until a smooth paste forms. Alternatively, pound everything together in a mortar using a pestle. Heat the remaining oil in a wok over low-medium heat. Add the paste, then cook, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn, for around 15 minutes or until the oil separates out. Remove from the heat.

7.For the stock, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the prawn heads and shells, then cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until all the liquid from the heads has evaporated and the shells are red and smell a bit toasty. Add 2 litres (2.1 qt) water, then bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, then cook the stock for 40 minutes, scooping off any scum on the surface with a ladle. Strain the stock, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible, then discard the solids. Measure the stock – you want about 1.25 litres (5 cups), so top it up with extra water, if necessary.

8.Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil for the noodles. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the paste, then stir for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the coconut milk and the prawn stock, mixing until well incorporated. Next, go in with the palm sugar, fish sauce and salt, then bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to combine well. Reduce the heat to low, then simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.

9.While the soup simmers, cook the noodles in the boiling water for 5-10 minutes or until tender, or cook according to packet instructions. Drain well (reserve the cooking water) and transfer to a bowl, then use kitchen scissors to snip them into short lengths. Transfer to serving bowls.

10.Using the same cooking water you used for the noodles, cook the prawns using a spider strainer for about 4 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to serving bowls. Cook the fish balls, beanshoots and fried tofu in the way until warmed through, then add to serving bowls.

11.Divide the cockles or clams between bowls, then ladle over the laksa soup. Top with some finely sliced Vietnamese mint (aka laksa leaf) and some chilli sambal. Serve immediately.

NOTES - Belacan is a fermented dried shrimp paste that is sold in solid blocks. Find it at an Asian grocer.

This Singaporean fish head curry epitomes the Little Red Dot perfectly: it’s a unique blend of cuisines and flavours. This dish in particular merges South Indian curry aspects with the Chinese favoured dish of steamed fish head. It’s layered and lush and is surprisingly straightforward to make. Feel free to use fish meat instead if the head freaks you out – it will still be delicious, just not quite as spot-on as the real deal.

Fish Head Curry￼

tbsp yellow mustard seeds

tsp fenugreek seeds

Malaysian curry powder

trimmed,

curry leaves

tbsp shaved palm sugar*

salt,

tamarind

eggplant,

okra, halved lengthways

roma tomatoes, quartered

coconut milk

rice

dried chillies

(5 oz) shallots, coarsely chopped

garlic,

2cm (just under 1”) piece of ginger, peeled, coarsely chopped

salt

1.For the spice paste, place the dried chillies in a small bowl, then pour over enough boiling water to cover well. Stand for 30 minutes, or until softened. Drain well, using your hands to squeeze out excess water. Reserve the chilli soaking liquid. Using scissors, chop the chillies into chunks and add to the bowl of a food processor, followed by the shallots, garlic, ginger and salt. Add 2 tablespoons of the chilli-soaking liquid, then process until a coarse paste forms (use extra liquid to help your blender along if you need to). Spoon out into a small bowl, then add turmeric and mix well to combine. Set aside.

2.Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and fenugreek seeds and cook for 1–2 minutes or until the mustard seeds start to pop.

3.Add the chilli paste and cook, stirring, for 6–7 minutes or until the oil has separated out

the mixture should look a bit curdled and there will be traces of oil on the base of the pan. Add the curry powder, curry leaves and lemongrass, then stir for 1–2 minutes or until fragrant.

4.Next, in goes 2½ cups water, followed by the palm sugar, salt and tamarind. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer. , then add the eggplant and fish head . Bring back to the simmer then cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender.

5.Add the okra and tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the fish head is cooked through. Stir in the coconut milk and heat until the curry gravy just starts to simmer, then serve with steamed rice or roti.

NOTE-It's worth finding good-quality Malaysian palm sugar (gula melaka) for this recipe as it has a rich, deep flavour that is unmistakable.

Beef Rendang

Beef chuck, ~ 3 lb

Salt,

Neutral oil, a spoonful

cloves

Shallots, 2-3

Fresh ginger, 2 spoonfuls

Turmeric powder, 2 spoonfuls

Galangal Root, 2 spoonfuls

Cumin, a spoonful

Ground coriander, a spoonful

Coconut Flakes, a spoonful

Coconut Milk, ~ 700 g

Lemongrass, 2-3 stalks

Makrut lime leaves, 2-3

Salt & sear the beef

Generously season the meat chunks with salt on each side. 

Heat a Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the beef in batches until well browned.

Make the aromatic paste

In a mortar & pestle or food processor, puree aromatics into a rough paste. 

Add to the braising pot with the meat, making sure it’s enough to coat each piece after mixing. Stir and saute the mixture until the paste starts to caramelize and cling to each piece. 

Sprinkle the ground spices over top.

Add the remaining ingredients & braise

Add the whole lemongrass, lime leaves, and coconut milk - enough to just cover the meat. 

Cover the Dutch oven and pop into a 300°F/148°C oven to braise for 3-5 hours or until the meat is completely fork tender. 

Let it rest and cool out of the oven for at least an hour.

Shred & serve

Shred the meat to your desired consistency. 

Taste and adjust with more salt, if needed. Serve over rice!

Top 3 malaysian cuisine recipes from across the web

The most viewed malaysian cuisine recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Singapore Katong Laksa | Marion&#03...

Fish Head Curry

Beef Rendang

Top 3 malaysian cuisine recipes from across the web

The most viewed malaysian cuisine recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Singapore Katong Laksa | Marion&#03...

Fish Head Curry￼

Beef Rendang

The most viewed malaysian cuisine recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Fish Head Curry