Curried Chicken, Shrimp, & Tofu Laksa
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
Food fights happen a lot in the Three Stooges TV shows. My brother and I were huge fans, and most days we raced home after school to watch them. Moe, Larry, and Curly made us laugh so hard we cried. Stunning someone by hitting them in the face with a plate of food was hilarious and I itched to have a chance to do it but never dared because my mother was humorless when it came to food. It was for eating not throwing.
One evening the six of us were at the table having dinner (my parents at each end with two kids on either side). Dad was in a great mood cracking his usual dad jokes. Like dad, my brother Fred was also a joker and prankster. (When my sister got her first bra, Fred strung it up the flagpole for the whole neighborhood to see; another time he hid all my Dad’s boxer shorts in the freezer.) Sitting next to Fred, I saw him throw what looked like a peanut at mom. Mom thought dad was throwing the nuts and told him to stop. Dad gave her a puzzled look, but she threatened to leave the table if it happened again. A second later she was hit with another peanut. She shot out of her chair and before we knew it, a plate of food was flying down the middle of the table and hit dad in the chest. He was covered with spaghetti and meatballs. The silence was deafening as mom left the room. Quickly putting noses to our plates and trying really hard not to laugh, we heard dad say in a stunned whisper, “I think your mother has lost her mind!”
Photo by: Lucy Alexander
This month’s recipe is for eating, not throwing. You won’t want to let go of your bowl when you smell the combination of curry sauce, ginger, lemongrass, cilantro and coconut milk. Once you have tasted a bowl of Laksa you will understand why it is such a wildly popular soup eaten across south-east Asia. I use the word soup loosely here because you need more than just a spoon to eat it. This version with shrimp, chicken, tofu and noodles is a one-bowl meal in itself. However, there are endless variations so don’t be put off by all the ingredients. I have included a vegetarian stock recipe below*. Boxed stocks are fine in a pinch, but if you have the extra 30 minutes it takes to make this stock you will be rewarded with a superior-tasting soup.
Stock:
6 shallots
2 stalks lemongrass
6 cloves garlic
2” piece of ginger skinned
½ bunch of fresh cilantro stems included
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons of yellow curry paste
1 lb. shrimp with shells
3 tablespoons of canola oil
8 cups of water
Soup Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
7 oz. firm tofu
One can fat reduced coconut milk
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
2 limes
6 oz. rice noodles (I used linguini-sized thick noodles)
Make the stock:
Peel and quarter the shallots, chop the lemongrass into thirds, cut the ginger up into six pieces, roughly chop the cilantro, and add them all to a food processor along with the garlic cloves, turmeric and curry paste. Process until the mixture is finely chopped. Set aside.
Peel the shrimp (save shells and tails for the stock) put the shrimp in a covered bowl in the fridge until needed. Place a 3-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. When warm, add the oil and the shrimp shells, toss until fragrant (about 5 minutes), add the shallot lemongrass mixture and stir for about a minute. Now add the water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes strain the solids out of the stock, pressing the vegetables to get out as much liquid as you can and pour it back into the original pot.
Cook Noodles:
In a large pot of boiling water add the noodles and cook about 4 minutes. There are many kinds of rice noodles out there so check the package for instructions on timing. You want them slightly al dente because they will cook a little more in the soup. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
Adding ingredients to stock:
Now add the chicken, tofu, and fish sauce. Simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes. Pull out the meat and chop into bite-sized pieces. Add the coconut milk and shrimp and cook for another three minutes. Toss in the noodles and just simmer to warm them, about 2 minutes. Add the chili garlic sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. You may need a little salt and pepper. Ladle into individual bowls and top with a squeeze of lime and chopped cilantro leaves. Serve extra lime wedges on the side.
*Vegetarian stock:
6 shallots -quartered keep skins for stock
2 stalks lemongrass. Take off outer tough leaves, save for stock
4-6 mushrooms quartered
6 cloves garlic
1 celery stock roughly chopped with leaves if possible
2” piece of ginger skinned
5 whole black pepper corns
½ bunch of fresh cilantro stems included
3 tablespoons of canola oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 tablespoons of yellow curry paste
Peel and quarter the shallots, chop the lemongrass into thirds, cut the ginger up into six pieces, roughly chop the cilantro, and add them all to a food processor along with the garlic cloves, turmeric and curry paste. Process until the mixture is finely chopped. Set aside.
Place a 3-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. When warm add canola oil, skins of shallots, celery, and lemongrass leaves. Cook until the skins and celery start to soften. Add peppercorns and mushrooms; cook for 2 minutes. Add the shallot ginger mixture and stir until fragrant. Add water, bring to a boil and lower to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain stock through sieve, squeezing as much liquid out as possible and return to pot.