Laksa Lemak / Singapore Laksa

Laksa Lemak is also called as Nyonya Laksa. It is the laksa commonly found in Singapore so it sometimes is regarded as Singapore Laksa. There are many slight variation for this dish and this combination of ingredients is what I like as well as my friends who had tried it. 

The steps to make this laksa might seem to be tedious but it is worth the effort as nothing can beat homemade. One way to ease the lengthy preparation is to prepare ahead the general rempah & prawn stock, you can keep them in freezer for some days or weeks and thaw them to use whenever you want to cook laksa.

Ingredients:
400g generic rempah (detailed recipe see here)
1.5 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted & milled into fine powder
2 tbsp belacan (fermanted shrimp paste) powder, toasted
100g dried shrimps, soaked & flossed 
6 sprigs of daun kesom / laksa leaves (Vietnamese Mint), whole sprig including stem
600ml coconut milk
1200ml prawn stock (see below on how to prepare prawn stock)
1kg rice vermicelli (or yellow noodles depends on preference), blanched & cooked seperately
3 tbsp sugar, adjust to taste
2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
3 tbsp cooking oil

For prawn stock:
1 kg prawns (sea prawns are the best as they are rich in flavor)
1 tbsp cooking oil
1500ml water

Condiments:
10 pcs tau pok (deep fried beancurd puff)
30 pcs medium shell-less fresh prawns taken from ingredients of prawn stock, blanched to cook
200g bean sprouts, blanched
5 eggs, hard-boiled & removed shell, cut into half or quarter
3 pcs flat large fish cake, thinly sliced, blanched
200g fresh blood cockles (optional)
2 to 4 sprig of daun kesom, julienned 

Special Sambal Chilies (optional):
60g generic rempah
20g dried shrimp, soaked & flossed 
50g shallots
3 tsp sugar
1 tbsp shallot oil

Methods:
1. To prepare prawn stock: snip off the torn & eyes of the prawn and remove the dirt inside prawn's head. Remove prawn shells for the usage in preparing prawn stock, keep the prawn meat aside. Heat the pan with cooking oil, add in prawn head & prawn shells, pan fry in medium heat until they turned color and the prawn aroma is all over your kitchen. Do not burn it. Pour in water, turn it to medium high heat and let it boil. Lower down the heat & let it boil for 15 minutes. Strain to remove the prawn heads & prawn shell, and the prawn stock is ready for use.
Note: Snipping off the prawns eyes and remove dirt are important to avoid bitter aftertaste of the prawn stock produced.
2.  In a big wok or stock pot, heat up cooking oil. Add flossed dried shrimp paste & saute it for while. Add in belacan powder, coriander seeds powder, general rempah & fry until fragrant.
3. Add in prawn stock & bring to boil. Add coconut milk to create the base. Add in more water to create the desired gravy consistency.
4. Add in daun kesom and this will give the gravy another dimension of flavor. Add in salt and sugar, adjust the saltiness & sweetness to your desired taste.
5. Add in tau pok (deep-fried beancurd puff) into the gravy & allow it to simmer together for few minutes under medium heat. Switch off the fire and do not cover the lid.
6. To prepare optional sambal chilies: Add all ingredients in a pan & saute until fragrant. 
7. To serve: portion the rice vermicelli into a bowl, top with handful of bean sprout. Ladle hot laksa gravy onto the bowl together with 2-3 pieces of beancurd puff from the same pot. Arrange some sliced fish cake, prawns, halved hard-boiled eggs, blanched blood cockles on top. Add more laksa gravy if desired.
8. Garnish with julienned daun kesom, serve immediately with some sambal chilies at the side.