Laksa

Begin by peeling and deveining your shrimp. Reserve the shrimp and the shells, keeping them separate. Heat the oil on medium heat in a soup pot. Once heated, toss in the shells of the shrimp. The goal here is to create the base of your stock, and in our case, a seafood stock. Cook the shells for about 5 minutes, mixing along the way. Add in your water and the salt, bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a medium-low, cooking for about one hour.

Now that you have your shrimp stock, remove all of the shells with a slotted spoon, making sure you get all of the shells out. Add in the cod or catfish, and let cook another 20 minutes or so. Using a couple of forks, begin to pull apart the fish in the broth, flaking it into very small pieces. Let this continue to simmer while you do the next steps.

During this time, take a small sauce pan out and place on medium heat. Add in the curry paste and cook for a few minutes, stirring to break up the paste. Add all of the paste into the stock, and give a good stir. Cover, and continue to cook, letting all of the curry flavor settle in, for roughly 20 minutes or so.

Now that the laksa is almost complete, add in the coconut milk, bamboo shoots, and shrimp, giving a good stir.

In another pot, bring about 6 cups of water to a boil. Get your rice noodles ready to go (in my case, I like to use a banh pho noodle which is a Vietnamese flat noodle used in soups such as Vietnamese pho). You can find these noodles in Asian markets, and they are now beginning to show up in local grocery stores in the ethnic aisle. Vermicelli is another nice option.

To a large bowl, add the dried noodles. I like to break mine in half, being careful not to explode the noodles all over my kitchen. Add the boiling water, and with some tongs, stir around, cooking the noodles. These will only take a few minutes to cook (you can follow package instructions for the timing), so keep an eye on them. They will get mushy – so make sure to remove them from the water as soon as they are done.

To your serving bowls, add some of the cooked rice noodles. Ladle in the delicious broth, making sure you get a few shrimp, bamboo shoots, and the cooked fish in each bowl. Make sure the broth covers the noodles. Top with a generous amount fresh bean sprouts, cilantro sprigs, and a lime wedge, as well as sambal chili paste, and a Thai chili for additional heat.

This noodle soup, in my opinion, is the best for breakfast or brunch. But it really is good any time of the day. This soup indeed deserves slurping, the smacking of lips, and the occasional sniffing from the heat of the chili paste.