From North to South, from West to East Malaysia, Laksa gives a distinction between states. From Laksa Penang to Laksa Sarawak, they are all my favourites.
Feast your eyes on them...
Laksa Johor Ingredients
Laksa Johor/ Johor laksa is spaghetti, served with a thick spicy fish gravy, topped with fresh vegetables. The gravy is a marriage between Laksam and Curry. The condiments are almost Laksam like, except for the preserved radish. When you finish eating the laksa (spaghetti), the gravy will be gone too, just like eating spaghetti Bolognese.
Although this is Johor’s Laksa, it is not found all over the state. I’ve been staying in Segamat which is located in north Johor for 2 years and it was not seen or even heard there. This laksa is only popular at the tip of the sweet potato, in Johor Bahru(JB). I stayed in JB for almost 1 year before, and during fasting month, I’d be scouring the food stalls looking for the best Johor Laksa. There are RM2 per portions, RM4 per portions, some even RM5. Why such a major difference in price?
It’s in the gravy.
Once I bought the RM2 stuff, being adventurous, just wanted to know how different is the 50% off. I tell you, I regretted that I wasted the RM2. It’s so watery. Just like Malay’s penang laksa, but with curry powder and thinned coconut milk. It’s disgusting, I’d say. I’ve learnt my lesson and the next time, I’ll hunt down the most expensive one at the food market, and those never fail my taste buds. Actually, the best that I’ve ever eaten was at Giant Plentong, the stalls’s name is Cathay Laksa. Cathay laksa is the one that introduced me to this addictive noodles.
After I left Johor for good, I craved for this super yummy Johorean fare, and non of my Johorean Malay friends knew how to do this and I finally found a recipe from a local Malay recipe portal, used it as a guideline and tweaked it to what I want my laksa gravy to be
To making of Johor Laksa …
(A)
20 shallots, mine came to about 250gm, peeled
20 dried chillies, seeds removed
1 bulb garlic, mine was about 30gm, peeled
1 inch ginger, about 15gm
1. Blend everything into a paste with ½ cup cooking oil.
2. Cook the paste until very fragrant.
**No need to wash the blender after this. Continue to use the same blender unwashed until (D).
(B)
500gm Spanish Mackeral/tenggiri
1. Boil fish with 3 cups water until cooked.
2. Take the fish out (retain broth) and let it cool down. Remove bones.
3. Pulse with with another 2 cups water.
(C)
100gm dried shrimp
250gm dried salted fish- Threadfin/Tanau/Senangin
1. Soak dried shrimps. Drain.
2. Toast salted fish on a pan until fragrant. U can use charcoal to toast if u want. Remove flesh from skin.
3. Blend dried shrimps and salted fish flesh with 2.5 cups water.
(D)
5 stalk lemon grass (4 inch from base)
100gm freshly grated coconut
1. Toast coconut on a frying pan until fragrant and golden.
2. Slice lemon grass finely and place into the blender together with toasted coconut.
3. Blend with 1.5 cups water.
Then you will have all the A, B, C and D. Of course you can blend B, C and D together in the blender if you want, but do you want to overload the blender?
(E)
4 Tbsp tamarind paste (Adabi brand)
200ml thick coconut milk
2 heaped Tbsp fish curry powder (1 small pack of 50gm)
Salt to taste
Final assembly.
1. Put (A), (B), (C), (D), tamarind paste, thick coconut milk, fish curry powder all into one pot with at least 5L capacity.
2. Bring a boil and let it simmer (lid on) for 30 minutes or until coconut oil is released. Season with salt. Turn off the heat and let the gravy sit , lid on.
3. Best made 12 hours ahead before serving
Condiments
1. Calamansi lime
2. Bean Sprouts, ends trimmed
3. Long Beans, finely sliced
4. Chopped preserved radish, soaked for 30 minutes, squeezed dry, dry fry until hot and dry.
5. Basil (daun selasih) or Laksa leaves(daun kesum). Washed and remove from stems.
6. Cucumber, finely julienned without the seeds
7. Sambal Belacan, six fresh red chillies blended with a thumbsized belacan. Uncooked.
To serve
1. Cook 1 packet(500g) of spaghetti according to packet’s instructions. (I used San Remo’s Vermicelli)
2. Divide spaghetti into 10 portions. Top with condiments.
3. Ladle over gravy. Squeeze juice of 1 calamansi over and toss everything.
Voila!!! Yum yum!!!
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