Laksa

Laksa!

My mom likes to give me random ingredients whenever I visit. On my last visit, she gave me a package of rice noodle sheets. I had no idea what to do with it. They were a little too thick to saute like chow fun noodles and bánh cuốn was a bit too complicated for a work night.

It'd been sitting in my refrigerator for several days when I finally just googled, "what to do with rice noodle sheets." Nothing really appealed to me so I went to one of my favorite sites for asian recipes, Rasa Malaysia. This site never fails me, it's where I got my Roasted Crab with Garlic Noodles and Indian Mee Goreng recipes.

After a quick search for "noodles" on Rasa Malaysia's site, I found exactly what I didn't even know what I was looking for - Laksa!

Curry, noodles, and soup? Yes, please! I changed the original recipe up a bit and it turned out fabulous and a super quick meal! Enjoy!

Laksa
Adapted from Rasa Malaysia's recipe
Serves 6

Stock
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 pack Malaysian instant curry paste (I used Mae Ploy Masman Curry Paste)
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, pounded)
2 jalapenos, thickly sliced
10 tofu puffs, halved
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste
Green onions and Lime wedges as garnish

Other Ingredients
Rice noodle sheets (The package will say Bánh ướt)
Bean sprouts, rinsed
3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
Fish cakes, sliced

In a stockpot, add the oil and sauté the instant curry paste until aromatic.

Add the chicken broth, water, fish sauce, lemongrass, jalapeno, tofu puffs and bring the stock to boil.

Lower the heat to simmer. Add the coconut milk and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock on simmer.

Bring another pot of water to a boil, add the rice noodle sheets, and allow the noodles to soften and separate a bit. Careful to not overcook or the noodles will break apart. Drain in a strainer.

To assemble a bowl of laksa for serving, put the noodles into a bowl and top with bean sprouts, a few slices 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.Garnish with green onions and squeeze lime juice over the top right before serving.

Evaporated milk, Coconut milk, Masman Curry Paste, Tofu puffs, Lemongrass, and Rice noodle sheets

My first curry

I had a weird assortment of produce that I needed to use: a Bell Pepper & Jalapenos.

I also had a couple of random items in the pantry that I wanted to get rid of: Coconut milk & Rice Noodles.

The only thing I've ever used the coconut milk for is a vegetable korma but I didn't have any of the other ingredients on hand. I did have a bottle of curry powder though so I did a quick search for Curry Powder, Coconut Milk & Potatoes (which I also had on hand) and voila! Easy Thai Chicken Curry recipe which I adapted for my palate. Try it out! I was quite pleased! Bon Appetit!

Thai Tofu Curry
(Adapted from this recipe on recipezaar.com)
4.5 oz Coconut Milk
10 oz Water
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tsp Soup Base (Any kind - I used "Better than Bouillon Vegan No Chicken Base)
1.5 Tbsp Curry Powder
2 small potatoes, diced
1/2 package of Extra Firm Tofu, diced
1 Roma Tomato, diced
1 Jalapeno Pepper, sliced into long strips
1 Red Bell Pepper
3-4 Fresh Basil leaves, reserve 2 leaves for garnish
Rice Noodles, boiled & drained

Mix Coconut Milk, Water, Soup Base, Soy Sauce, Curry Powder, and Potatoes in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, tofu, jalapeno and simmer for another 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add the bell pepper strips and basil and simmer for another minute or two. If you like the bell peppers a little softer, simmer for another 5 minutes.

Place the rice noodles in the bottom of a bowl and top with the curry and the basil garnish.