Blogging By Mail

My parcel is shipped to the USA :) This is my first time joining the second blogging by mail event hosted by Dispensing Happiness.

p/s: Going to post up my part of the Penang Flogger gathering soon. Too busy in the past weeks and laptop send for repair :P

Merdeka Open House 2008: Mee & Malaysia

This entry is for Merdeka Open House 2008: Mee & Malaysia event hosted by Babe in the City. Growing up I think the only mee I can really relate to is maggi mee. My mom is the contemporary type and doesn’t cook much traditional food at home. I thought hard but couldn’t come up with a noodle dish which represents my origin. I decided to cook from the recipe of the mee I grow to love and enjoy – lemak laksa or fondly known as Siam laksa in Penang.

I hope this qualifies although the recipe is adapted from the cookbook – Food From The Heart. The amount in brackets are my guestimation because who weighs everything, right? :P

Lemak Laksa
adapted from Food From The Heart, recipe by Puan Sri Siew Yong Gnanalingam

Ingredients:
3 stalks lemongrass/serai, slice the fleshy section.
30g garlic (4 cloves)
150g shallots (3-4)
15g galangal/lengkuas, slice (1 thumb-sized knob)
10g candle nut/buah keras (3-4)
10g fresh turmeric/kunyit, slice
15g dried shrimp paste/belacan
15g dried chillies, soaked in hot water and blended fine
2 stalks ginger flower/bunga kantan, finely sliced
5 pcs kaffir lime leaves/daun limau purut, finely sliced
250ml coconut milk/santan
Cooking oil
350g fish, preferably wolf herring/ikan parang
1L water
Laksa noodle or rice vermicelli/bee hoon, scalded and drained

Garnishing
200g bean sprouts/taugeh, quickly scalded, drained and keep aside
Mint leaves, clean and pluck out each leaf for use
Cucumber, julienned

1.    Steam fish and de-bone. Break up the fish meat and keep aside. Keep the fish stock.
2.    Blend lemongrass, garlic, candle nut, shallots, galangal, turmeric and belacan. Keep aside.
3.    Heat oil in a large wok and fry blended spices and blended chilli till fragrant and remove.
4.    Boil water in a pot. When boiling, add ginger flower slices, kaffir lime leaves, fried chilli spices, mashed dish meat and fish stock. Add salt to taste.
5.    Boil for 15 minutes. Add coconut milk, bring it back to boil and put aside.

To serve
1.    Put laksa noodle in each bowl.
2.    Pour hot soup over noodles and top with bean sprouts, cucumber and add the tofu.

Note:
1.    Outer part of ginger flower and upper stalk of lemongrass can be added to boiling water for added aroma. Remove before adding the fish.
2.    I didn’t use fish when I prepared this. I added a cube of ikan bilis stock to the soup and reduced the amount of water to 750ml

Thanks for hosting this patriotic event, BabeKL! ^.^

CLICK! April Winners

My photo has been selected as the Concept winner! ^.^ Congratulations to all the other winners too! Go to this page and view the rest of the wonderful creative photos submitted for this event.

Thanks to all the judges and the host, Jai & Bee at Jugalbandi.