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Malaysian Assam Laksa
by Zak Pelaccio, Fatty Crab (Upper West Side), New York, NY

Directions

Toast Belacan: Cut the belacan into small pieces and lay them out on a baking tray.  Slide the tray under a broiler, and let that paste toast. Shake the pan every so often to rotate the pieces.  Toast until the belacan becomes very fragrant, is darker in color, and when pressed down with the back of a spoon, is softer and more powder like, rather than tacky and paste like.  When it is toasted, remove from broiler and transfer the pieces to a bowl.

With the back of a spoon, press the pieces with the back of the spoon and mash down to powder the ingredients.  If you have a mortar, you can pound the belacan in the mortar to achieve this as well.  Hang on to this powder in the bowl, you will be adding it to the broth soon.

 

Sardines: 

Scale and wash the sardines. Filet the sardines, reserving both the bones and the filets and keeping the skins intact with the filets.  Place both on a plate lined with a paper towel and hold in the fridge until ready to add them to the broth in a few minutes.

 

Broth: 

In a large saucepan or stockpot, add the vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add the long red chili, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, galangal root, turmeric root and toasted belacan.  Sweat out the vegetables until they begin to soften and become very aromatic.  Do not allow them to brown, so watch the heat.

Add half of the sardine filets and all the sardine bones and sweat out with the vegetables for about 5minutes.

 

Add both of the stocks to another pot and bring to a boil together.

 

Once, hot, add the stocks to the sardine pot and stir to incorporate.  Add the tamarind pulp, the galangal flower, assam skins and dried chilies.  Bring to a simmer and adjust with sugar and salt and keep simmering for about 30-45 minutes.

 

Strain the liquid through a mesh sieve, discarding the solids.  Return the liquid to a saucepot and to the heat. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lime juice.

The broth should be sweet, salty, sour and deliciously fish funky.

 

While the broth is simmering, break the sardine filets up with a spoon, slightly mashing them into the broth.  Remove the broth from the heat and hold, with a lid over the pot, on a burner, off of a flame and let it chill out while you finish the rest of the laksa prep.

 

Garnish:

Pineapple- remove the core from the pineapple and discard.  Cut the pineapple into 1 inch long batons that are about ¼ inch thick.

Cucumber- Cut the ends off the cucumber and cut crosswise into 1 ½" cylinders.  Julienne the cucumber.

Ikan Bilis- In a pot with 1 Cup vegetable oil heated 325 degrees, fry the ikan bilis until golden and crunchy.  About 5 minutes, give or take.

Vietnamese Mint Leaves- tear them in half

Standard mint leaves - the same

Thai Chili- Slice into thin rounds, crosswise.

Remaining sardine fillets - cut them up into ½" pieces

 

Noodles:

First, bring a pot of lightly salted boiling water to a boil.

Second, bring the sardine broth back to a boil and then turn to a mellow simmer and drop in the cut up sardine fillets.

Add the noodles to the boiling water, for literally 2 minutes.  Quickly strain the noodles from the water and add the noodles to the simmering broth.  Let the noodles hang in the simmering broth for about 3 minutes.

Check the broth, adjust the seasoning again if necessary.  As the broth sits, and cooks, the flavor will change.  You might taste it once and the flavors appear strong and right on, but after 10 minutes, you might taste it again and you find they are flat.  When you think the broth is spot on, transfer the noodles and broth to a large serving bowl.

Top the bowl with all the garnish ingredients and allow them to settle into the broth. 

Serve.

Ingredients