Singapore laksa paste

Name: Singapore laksa paste
Yield: Makes 100 ml
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 150 ml vegetable oil; 12 candlenuts; 2 tablespoons dried prawns; 1 tablespoon belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste); 12 large dried chillies; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 15 red shallots, finely sliced; 8 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste); 18 red bird’s-eye chillies, minced

Preparation info

Makes
100 ml

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Spice

By Christine Manfield

Published 1999

About

There are probably as many recipes for laksa pastes as there are cooks — everyone seems to have his or her interpretation. This is my version of a most wonderful laksa I tasted recently in Singapore, cooked at home by one of that city’s most ingenious and generous cooks, Melina Yong.

Ingredients

12 large dried chillies
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 tablespoons

Asia
Singapore
Fish course
Condiment
Spice Mix
Pescatarian
Gluten-free
South East Asia

Method

Dry-roast dried chillies and belacan, separately, over gentle heat until fragrant. Cool, then grind chillies to a fine powder. Soak dried prawns in warm water for 10 minutes, then drain. Blend all ingredients to a fine paste in a food processor, adding a little water if necessary. Heat a wok and gently fry paste over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes until oil is red and pas