Chicken Main Asian

Junda Khoo's laksa

Name: Junda Khoo's laksa recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: 100ml vegetable oil; 50g curry powder (we used Baba’s); 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1/4 tsp ground chilli; 125.00 ml curry leaves; 1 each star anise and cinnamon stick; 2l chicken stock; 6 chicken thigh cutlets, at room temperature; 1 ginger flower (see recipe notes); 1 bunch Vietnamese mint; 400ml can coconut milk; 200ml coconut cream; 20.00 ml each caster sugar; 400g tofu puffs, larger ones halved; 3 bunches baby bok choy, halved lengthways; 600g fresh hokkien noodles; 200g dried rice vermicelli; Bean sprouts, coriander sprigs, sliced long red chilli, fried shallots, shredded long green shallots and lime wedges, to serve; 2 red onions, roughly chopped; 100g fresh ginger, peeled, chopped; 40g chilli; 4 garlic cloves; 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, chopped; 40.00 ml dried shrimp; 2 tsp toasted belacan (fermented shrimp paste); 3 candlenuts (from Asian grocers, substitute 3 macadamias)

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by Junda Khoo

CHEF

Sep 22, 2023

“In Malaysia, we call laksa ‘curry mee’, and one of my death-row meals is a Penang curry mee. The laksa I wanted to put on the Ho Jiak menu was one that I used to eat at a clubhouse where my dad used to play golf. For nine months, I kept making changes to the recipe until it became 100%. There’s something so rewarding about attempting and accomplishing a more complex recipe.”

100ml vegetable oil
50g curry powder (we used Baba’s)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground chilli
1/2 cup curry leaves
1 each star anise and cinnamon stick
8 cups (2L) chicken stock (see recipe notes)
6 chicken thigh cutlets, at room temperature
1 ginger flower (see recipe notes)
1 bunch Vietnamese mint
400ml can coconut milk
200ml coconut cream
1 tbs each caster sugar and chicken stock powder
400g tofu puffs, larger ones halved
3 bunches baby bok choy, halved lengthways
600g fresh hokkien noodles
200g dried rice vermicelli
Bean sprouts, coriander sprigs, sliced long red chilli, fried shallots, shredded long green shallots and lime wedges, to serve

Laksa paste

2 red onions, roughly chopped
100g fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
25 (40g) whole medium dried chillies
4 garlic cloves
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, chopped
2 tbs dried shrimp
2 tsp toasted belacan (fermented shrimp paste)
3 candlenuts (from Asian grocers, substitute 3 macadamias)

Method

1.

For the laksa paste, place all ingredients in a food processor. Whiz until a rough paste forms.
2.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add laksa paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Add ground, fresh and whole spices with 150ml water and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent mixture sticking to base of pan, or until mixture is very thick and fragrant. Set aside.
3.

Place stock in a medium stockpot and bring to the boil. Add chicken and bring almost to the boil. Reduce heat and very gently simmer (liquid should barely move) for about 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a bowl of iced water. Once cold, set chicken on a plate, then debone and shred meat with your hands (discard skin and bones). Cover meat and set aside in the fridge.
4.

Add stock to laksa paste mixture along with ginger flower and Vietnamese mint. Bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 1 hour. Strain stock into a clean large saucepan, discarding solids. Stir in coconut milk, cream, sugar, stock powder and 2 tsp fine salt.
5.

Reduce heat to low. Add tofu and shredded chicken. Gently simmer, partially covered, to gently heat tofu and chicken through while your bok choy cooks. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Blanch bok choy, in batches, for 30 seconds, or until just wilted. Use tongs to transfer to a plate. Add hokkien noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes, gently separating as they start to soften. Use tongs to transfer to a colander to drain. Add vermicelli and cook for 1 minute, gently separating with a fork, until just soft. Drain over hokkien noodles in the colander.
6.

Divide noodles and bok choy between 4 bowls. Ladle over laksa and add some tofu puffs and chicken. Sprinkle with bean sprouts, coriander, chilli and fried and fresh shallots. Serve with lime wedges alongside.

Rate now

Recipe Notes

Use unsalted chicken stock if using store bought. Ginger flowers are available from Asian grocers. If you don’t use a ginger flower, double the amount of Vietnamese mint and up the fresh ginger to 120g for the laksa paste.

MAKE YOUR OWN CHICKEN STOCK
To make your own stock, place 2 whole raw chicken carcasses, 2 whole star anise, the root ends of 1 bunch of long green shallots and 6cm piece fresh ginger (30g) in a large stockpot with 3L water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 4 hours (skim top of broth and discard skimmings every hour). Strain, discard solids and store cooled stock in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

SIMPLE SEAFOOD
Swap chicken stock for store-bought fish stock and add prawns and chunks of white fish or salmon to the laksa mixture a few minutes before ladling in the stock.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN
Use vegetable stock instead of chicken. Swap belacan for mushroom paste and the dried shrimp for dried mushrooms. And go crazy with beautiful veg instead of chicken.