Famous Asian Recipes Blog

Ingredients:
500 grams  Sardine or Mackerel fish, 2 liters of water, 4 pieces of dried tamarind peel (soaked), some Vietnamese mint leaves, 300 grams cooked laksa noodles
Spicy Paste (process into fine paste with a blender)
6 fresh chilies (seeded), 10 dried red chilies (seeded), 8 small onions, 1 stalk lemon grass (use only about 4 inches from the bulb, crushed), 1 thumb size belachan
Tamarind Juice
Extract juice from 3 tbsp of tamarind paste with 1/2 cup water (repeat 3-4 times)
Seasonings
Sugar, salt and fish sauce to taste, Penang prawn paste (hae ko, add only when serve)
Garnishing
1 cup shredded cucumber, 1 red onion (sliced thinly), 1 bunch pepper mint leaves, 1 ginger bud (bunga kantan, chopped finely), 1 lettuce (cut into small pieces), 1 red chili (cut into small slices), 5 chili padi (cut into small pieces), 1 slice of pineapple (cut into thin strips)
Method

• Remove scales and innards of the fish and clean well. Bring 2 liters of water to boil in a deep pot then add in the fish and boil for about 10 minutes. Strain the fish stock into another pot and leave the fish to cool.

• Bring the strained fish stock to a light boil again then add in the peeled tamarind and the Vietnamese mint leaves and continue to simmer in low heat.

• Pick the flesh out from all the fish and discard the bones. Break the flesh into small pieces and return the fish into the stock and continue to simmer with low heat.

• Saute the spicy paste with little bit of cooking oil until it become aromatic then add it to the stock together with the strained tamarind juice and continue to simmer with low heat. Add seasoning to taste.

• To enjoy this sweet, tangy and spicy dish,  arrange cooked laksa noodle in a serving bowl and garnish with all vegetables. Pour the piping hot soup over the noodle and serve with a spoonful of Hae Ko.

Related Recipe
More Nyonya Recipes

It is commonly known that Nyonya cuisines are fusion dishes from Chinese cooking, Malay cooking and Thai cooking.

This characteristic is obvious in some of the recipes.

The Nyonya Black Fungus Salad or Kerabu Bok Nee is a typical example as Bok Nee (black fungus) is a very traditional Chinese ingredient, grated coconut, ginger bud (bunga kantan) and sambal belachan are popular ingredients used in Malay cooking and the sweet and sour finishing touch is very much of Thai style.

This combination of different cooking culture although simple to prepare, is a wonderful appetizer that stimulate your taste bud.

Nyonya Black Fungus Salad Recipe

More Nyonya Recipes

Sambal Prawns Petai or Sambal Udang Petai has been one of the most popular dish from the Nyonya kitchen but not everybody will like the stinky taste of this bright flat nut shaped beans with a peculiar smell. Just like durian, it’s either you love it or hate it. For the petai lovers, some will just take it raw with a dip in the sambal paste but most people will cook it with prawns and sambal. Petai is also known to be good for health especially help in treating diabetes, depression, obesity, constipation and blood pressure.

*Sambal Prawns Petai Recipe*

*More Nyonya Recipes*

Ingredients
6 fish (mackerel or other small sea fish)
5 slices tamarind pulp (asam keping)
1 stalk smashed lemongrass
2 red chilies
5 cups of water
30 g toasted belacan
2 tsp sugar
pinch of chicken stock powder
salt to taste
Method
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil, add tamarind pulp, lemongrass, chilies and simmer with low heat for 10 minutes. Add toasted belacan and fish then further simmer for another 10 minutes. Season soup with little bit of chicken stock powder, salt and sugar. Best serve hot.
*More Asian Recipes*

Assam babi means sour pork in a Malay, being fusion food or mixture of Chinese and Malay cooking culture, it is not surprise to find pork cook in Malay style in Nyonya cuisine.
Ingredients
600g pork (belly part, cut into serving size)
200g potatoes wedges (prefried)
6 slices of dried tamarind (assam keping)
2 pcs of pandan leaves (tied into knot)
4 pcs lime leaves (daun limau perut)
1 stalk sliced bunga kantan (torch ginger flower)
8 tbsp cooking oil
4 cups water
1 cup thick coconut milk
sugar and salt to taste             (more…)