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Malaysian Assam Laksa
by Zak Pelaccio, Fatty Crab (Upper West Side), New York, NY

Directions

Toast Belacan: Cut the belacan into small pieces and lay them out on a baking tray.� Slide the tray under a broiler, and let that paste toast. Shake the pan every so often to rotate the pieces.� Toast until the belacan becomes very fragrant, is darker in color, and when pressed down with the back of a spoon, is softer and more powder like, rather than tacky and paste like.� When it is toasted, remove from broiler and transfer the pieces to a bowl.

With the back of a spoon, press the pieces with the back of the spoon and mash down to powder the ingredients.� If you have a mortar, you can pound the belacan in the mortar to achieve this as well.� Hang on to this powder in the bowl, you will be adding it to the broth soon.

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Sardines:�

Scale and wash the sardines. Filet the sardines, reserving both the bones and the filets and keeping the skins intact with the filets.� Place both on a plate lined with a paper towel and hold in the fridge until ready to add them to the broth in a few minutes.

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Broth:�

In a large saucepan or stockpot, add the vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add the long red chili, lemongrass, shallot, garlic, galangal root, turmeric root and toasted belacan.� Sweat out the vegetables until they begin to soften and become very aromatic.� Do not allow them to brown, so watch the heat.

Add half of the sardine filets and all the sardine bones and sweat out with the vegetables for about 5minutes.

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Add both of the stocks to another pot and bring to a boil together.

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Once, hot, add the stocks to the sardine pot and stir to incorporate.� Add the tamarind pulp, the galangal flower, assam skins and dried chilies.� Bring to a simmer and adjust with sugar and salt and keep simmering for about 30-45 minutes.

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Strain the liquid through a mesh sieve, discarding the solids.� Return the liquid to a saucepot and to the heat. Adjust the seasoning with salt and lime juice.

The broth should be sweet, salty, sour and deliciously fish funky.

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While the broth is simmering, break the sardine filets up with a spoon, slightly mashing them into the broth.� Remove the broth from the heat and hold, with a lid over the pot, on a burner, off of a flame and let it chill out while you finish the rest of the laksa prep.

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Garnish:

Pineapple- remove the core from the pineapple and discard.� Cut the pineapple into 1 inch long batons that are about � inch thick.

Cucumber- Cut the ends off the cucumber and cut crosswise into 1 �" cylinders.� Julienne the cucumber.

Ikan Bilis- In a pot with 1 Cup vegetable oil heated 325 degrees, fry the ikan bilis until golden and crunchy.� About 5 minutes, give or take.

Vietnamese Mint Leaves- tear them in half

Standard mint leaves - the same

Thai Chili- Slice into thin rounds, crosswise.

Remaining sardine fillets - cut them up into �" pieces

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Noodles:

First, bring a pot of lightly salted boiling water to a boil.

Second, bring the sardine broth back to a boil and then turn to a mellow simmer and drop in the cut up sardine fillets.

Add the noodles to the boiling water, for literally 2 minutes.� Quickly strain the noodles from the water and add the noodles to the simmering broth.� Let the noodles hang in the simmering broth for about 3 minutes.

Check the broth, adjust the seasoning again if necessary.� As the broth sits, and cooks, the flavor will change.� You might taste it once and the flavors appear strong and right on, but after 10 minutes, you might taste it again and you find they are flat.� When you think the broth is spot on, transfer the noodles and broth to a large serving bowl.

Top the bowl with all the garnish ingredients and allow them to settle into the broth.�

Serve.

Ingredients