Laksa Nyonya is also known as laksa lemak, particularly due to the use of coconut milk in it. It uses prawn stock combined with chicken stock as the base. That alone makes this laksa special. Coupled with aromatic spices, coconut milk, seafood, noodles and the fresh garnishing and you get another comfort food to warm you up on cold and wet winter days like today.
Like the recipe for asam laksa, please don’t get put off the long list of ingredients. Obviously, this is not a one pot recipe but it’s easy enough to make at home. And when you take that first spoonful of laska nyonya, I’m sure you’d feel all the effort was well worth it.
Now let’s start. You’ll need:
Blended ingredients (A):
- 5 shallot
- 2 garlic cloves
- 5 fresh chillies
- 10 dried chillies
- 1 inch galangal
- 1/2 inch ginger
- 1/2 inch fresh turmeric
- 4 lemon grass
- 6 candle nuts
- 1 handful dried shrimp
- 1 inch toasted belacan
For the stock:
- chicken bones (I used bones from four chicken thigh)
- prawn heads and shells (from 350g prawns)
- daun kesum (Vietnamese coriander or polygonum)
For the laksa gravy:
- blended ingredients (as above)
- prawn and chicken stock (as above)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 7 fish balls
- 7 fish tofu
- 7 tofu puffs
Condiments and noodles:
- thick vermicelli noodles, pre-cooked
- 350g prawns, pre-cooked
- daun kesum, sliced
- bean sprouts
- cucumber, julienned
- hard boiled eggs, halved
For sambal:
- 5 tbsp blended dried chilli
- 2 shallot, blended
- 1 garlic clove, blended
- juice from half a lime
- 1/2 inch toasted belacan
Others:
- salt and sugar, to taste
- oil, for frying
- water
There’s a lot going on here, so let’s do this step by step.
First, prepare the prawns by removing the heads and shells, leaving the tails on. Devein the prawns and rinse to clean. Keep the heads and shells for the stock.
Heat up a small pot with 2 cups of water. When the water comes to a boil, blanch the prawns until they are just cooked. You know they are done when they curl up and turn from translucent to opaque – it takes no more than 1 min. Transfer the prawns to a bowl and keep both the prawns and the water from blanching the prawns aside for later use.
In a pot, boil the chicken bones with 3 cups of water to make the stock, letting it simmer for about 45 mins. Remove the bones.
In another pot, heat two table spoons of oil to medium to high heat. Fry the prawn heads and shells. Your kitchen will be filled with the most delicious aroma of fried prawns.
When the prawn heads and shells have turned golden brown, pour in the water used to blanch the prawns earlier. Add another 3 cups of water and 6 sprigs of daun kesum. Let it simmer for about 45 mins.
While waiting for the stock to be ready, prepare the blended ingredients (A). In a separate pot, heat about 3 tbsp of oil to medium heat. Add the blended ingredients (A) and fry until fragrant and the oil separates. This may take about 15 mins.
Strain in the chicken stock. For the prawn stock, remove the daun kesum and put aside. Since I have my trusted Vitamix, I poured the stock together with the heads and shells into my Vitamix to liquidize the whole thing. Strain the liquid into the laksa pot and throw in the daun kesum. Let the gravy come to a boil.
Add the coconut milk and bring it back to a boil. Add the fish balls, fish tofu and tofu puffs. Let it cook for a few minutes. Have a taste and adjust according to preference. Turn off the heat.
To make the sambal, in a pan, heat about 1 tbsp of oil to medium heat. Pour the blended chilli, shallot, garlic and belacan and fry until fragrant and the oil separates. Add lime juice, sugar to taste and if needed, salt – belacan is already salty so taste first before adding anymore salt. Adjust the taste as necessary. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
To plate up, put some rice noodles, pre-cooked in a bowl. Pour the laksa into the bowl. Top with the condiments. Serve hot with sambal and a wedge of lime on the side.
