Traditional Laksa
Buddha Lo's Laksa
Pairs with Saratoga Sparkling Spring Water
This recipe from world-renowned chef Buddha Lo celebrates his mom who often cooked it for him. The crunch of the peanuts and sprouts, along with the bright notes of citrus and herbs, rounds out this palate pleaser for a combination of spicy and savory that pairs well with Saratoga® sparkling water.
Ingredients
For the Paste
- 3 medium shallots, chopped
- 4 medium lemongrass stalks, sliced
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1 (3-inch) piece fresh galangal, peeled and chopped
- 4 small dried red chiles
- 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 cup chicken stock divided
- ½ cup peanuts
- 2 tsp dried shrimp paste
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
For the Soup
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups coconut cream
- 2 tbsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 8 oz dried rice noodles
- 2 (8-oz) cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
- 8 unpeeled raw jumbo shrimp, peeled, cleaned, and poached
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 4 scallions, sliced
- ½ cup fresh Vietnamese mint leaves, loosely packed
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup fried shallots
- 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
Preparation
For the Paste
STEP ONE
Combine shallots, lemongrass, oil, ginger, galangal, red chiles, garlic, and 1/2 cup stock in a blender; process until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste, about 30 seconds. Add peanuts, shrimp paste, turmeric, coriander, sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup stock to blender: process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
For the Soup
STEP ONE
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add laksa paste, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk in stock and coconut cream; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in fish sauce, and add more to taste, if desired.
STEP TWO
While the stock mixture simmers, cook rice noodles according to package directions. Divide the noodles evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange sliced chicken and poached shrimp evenly on the noodles. Ladle the hot stock mixture evenly into the bowls. Top evenly with bean sprouts, scallions, mint, cilantro, fried shallots, and lime wedges.
