Recipe courtesy of Asian Food Network
East meets west in this pasta dish inspired by the flavors of one of Southeast Asia's popular noodle soups - laksa!
Ingredients
Serves 2 people
- 250g pasta (any pasta of your choice)
- 80g mussels (cleaned)
- 100g prawns (cleaned)
- 100g scallops (cleaned)
- 50 g salted fish (chopped and fried)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 10 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 5g fresh ginger
- 3 large red chillis
- 10g turmeric root
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 1.5 cup mint leaves
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 ginger flower (sliced)
- 1 turmeric leaf (sliced)
- 20g bean sprouts (blanched)
- 1 spring onion (chopped)
- 3 limes (wedged)
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 100g cucumber (deseeded and julienned)
- water
- salt (to taste)
- sugar (to taste)
- vegetable oil.
Instructions
1: Blend rempah (spice paste)
- In a blender, blend shallots, garlic, fresh ginger, large red chilli and turmeric root until smooth.
- If the mixture is too dry, you can use water to help achieve a smooth consistency.
2: Fry rempah (spice paste)
- In a pan, fry the blended ingredients on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes until fragrant, then add in lemongrass and a half-cup of water.
3: Make laksa sauce and season
- Once it starts simmering, add in 1 cup of coconut milk and 4 tablespoons of fish sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Season with 1 tablespoon of sugar. You can add in salt and more sugar, if needed.
4: Cook seafood
- Add the seafood to the sauce and let it sit for 1 minute, close the lid and turn the fire off to let the rest of the seafood steam in the sauce for at least 5 minutes.
- If you are not using the seafood immediately after cleaning, store in the fridge to keep it fresh.
5: Cook pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Once cooked, add in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil so that the pasta won't stick together.
Garnish and serve!
- Place the pasta in a bowl, top with blanched bean sprouts and sliced ginger flower before pouring the hot, creamy sauce over the pasta.
- Garnish with julienned cucumbers, chopped spring onions, crispy salted fish and a lime wedge.
Chef's tips
Long and thin pasta types, like spaghetti and linguine, are typically paired with light seafood sauces, cream or oil-based sauces.
Long and wide pastas, like tagliatelle, pappardelle and fettuccine are typically paired with rich, meaty sauces.
Twist and tube-shaped pastas, like penne and fusilli, are typically paired with pesto and bolognese.