Laksa Utara

If people ask me what my all time favourite dish is, I would answer laksa utara. I don't know why I like this so much but I love the sour and mildly hot taste that it has and the mixture of all the herbs in the broth. And when you sip the broth, you can enjoy crispy sliced fresh cucumber and onions which is to my delight. It is not easy to find a good laksa maker. You must have the skill to make a perfect broth. The more you cook the broth, the better it will taste. That is why, I will cook my laksa broth a day ahead of time so that all ingredients will be mixed well and when you want to serve it the next day, you will not be disappointed at all. This is how I make my laksa and I hope you will enjoy this recipes as much as I do! Do try!

Ingredients

10- 12 mackerel or ikan kembong ( Clean the fish with tamarind juice and boil until cooked. When the fish is cooked, take the flesh out and blend the rest of the fish's heads to get the maximum results. Sift the blended items and keep the flesh and the broth)

1 packet of laksa 

Blended Items

2 big onions

2 inch belacan or shrimp paste

10 cili padi or bird's eye chillies

6 red fresh chillies

1 tablespoon dried chilli paste

Other Ingredients

6-8 asam gelugor

2 handful of daun kesum

2 stick of bunga kantan

salt, to taste

water, as desired ( about 2-3 liters)

Garnishing

Boiled eggs

Lime

Sliced cucumber

Sliced onions

Sliced fresh chillies

Methods

1. In a big pot, add in the blended items and the flesh of the fish. Pour in enough water as you desire depending on how much laksa broth you prefer to make.

2. Add in asam gelugor. You need to put this early as you need all the sourness to absorb into the broth.

3. Cook until boiling before adding in the rest of the ingredients such as daun kesum, bunga kantan and salt.

4. Let the broth simmer gently and cook for two or three hours or until you have achieved the desired taste. To get a better result, keep reheating it every few hours and best cooked a day ahead of time.

5. Serve with a bowl of laksa and garnishing as above.

*serves 6-8 people