Prawn Laksa With Rice Noodles and Egg Dipped Hake.

Ingredients:

Serves 4:

500g Skinless, boneless Hake fillet, cut into 1.5 cm thick medallions.

500g Fresh tiger prawns (with heads and shells)

2 Red Chillis finely sliced

4 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and sliced

1 Inch of galangal, finely diced

1 Stick of lemongrass, halved and 1 half finely diced

1 tsp Ground coriander

1 tsp Ground cumin

1 tsp Onion powder

1 .5 tsp Turmeric

0.25 tsp Ground white pepper

0.75 tsp Salt

2 tblsp Sesame oil

1 tblsp Fish sauce

1 tblsp Light brown sugar

150g Peeled blanched peanuts

150g Creamed Coconut

2 Limes, juiced

1 Egg, beaten

2 tblsp Cornflour

400g Rice noodles, cooked as per packet instructions.

Toppings:

Pak coi, toasted peanuts, spring onion, fresh coriander, lime wedges.

Method:

First prepare the prawns by removing the heads and shells, reserving them fotr the stock
Run a knife along the back of the prawn, cutting about 2mm deep. this should expose the waste pipe. Remove the waste pipe and discard.

Heat a large saucepan on the stove and add the heads and shells along with the intact half of lemongrass.
Fry until all the shells have changed colour and beginning to brown.
Add one litre of hot water and simmer for fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes pass the stock through a sieve and discard the shells.
Use either a pestle and mortar or food processor to make the laksa paste (a pestle and mortar will take longer but will produce a smoother paste)
Blend together the peanuts, galangal, garlic, chillis, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper, coriander powder, sesame oil, fish sauce, chopped lemongrass and brown sugar. Blend until smooth.

Heat a heavy based sauce pan with two table spoons of cooking oil, add the pate and fry for two to three minutes stirring constantly.
Add the prawn stock, stir and bring to the boil, simmer for fifteen minutes.
Add the creamed coconut and stir until all the coconut has dissolved into the liquid and add the lime juice.

To cook the hake and prawns:

Coat the hake pieces in corn flour, shaking of any excess then place in the beaten egg.

Heat a large frying pan with enough cooking oil to cover the bottom about 3 mm deep.
Take the hake from the egg, shaking any excess and carefully place in the hot oil.
When all the hake is in the pan add the prawns.
Fry everything for one and a half minutes on a medium heat on each side.

To finish: