Friday- Singapore Chicken Laksa {using spaghetti}

''Most restaurants (and hostesses) that feature pasta provide guests with a large spoon as well as the knife and fork. The fork is used to spear a few strands of spaghetti, the tips are placed against the spoon, which is held on its side, in the left hand, and the fork is twirled, wrapping the spaghetti around itself as it turns. If no spoon is provided, the tips of the fork may be rested against the curve of the plate.'' ''The New Emily Post's Etiquette,'' Elizabeth L. Post, 1975 By CRAIG CLAIBORNE 

The above excerpt is from NY Times.com, which highlights the right way of eating spaghetti, using fork and spoon. Instead of fork, I choose to twirl it with a pair of chopstick and Chinese soup spoon this time he he 

This chicken Laksa is specially made for Food Pixel Contest by Dario Milano. There's no grand prize, and everybody signed up for critiques and fun! Since the latest contest theme is spaghetti, I'd to substitute the laksa noodles to angle hair spaghetti. FYI, this is not a new thing-read: the subs. We'd been doing this for years already. 

This flavorful noodle soup, is made with coconut based sauce that is scented with rempah paste and served with any number of condiments. Sometimes people called curry mee. I knew I could easily ordered this at most of the hawker streets here, but I choose to make it from scratch today. Such a sweet time of headache he he 

Anyway, this was my first attempt making Chicken Laksa and the result was not bad at all. The taste is almost the same like hawker-styled Chicken Laksa. My only concern is the sidekick, the chili oil. Perhaps I should put belacan [shrimp paste] next time? *sneeze**sneeze*

Singapore Chicken Laksa Recipe
{Adapted from Almost Bourdain's Curry Laksa}

Serves 6-I halved the recipe tho

Rempah Paste:
20 Asian shallots
10 cloves garlic
10 dried chillies, soaked in warm water
10 fresh red chillies
2 tsp toasted belacan-
3 tbsp dried shrimps, soaked in warm water
6 candlenuts (buah keras)
3 tbsp curry powder

5 tbsp oil
3 stalks lemon grass, bruised
3 sprigs curry leaves- skipped
1 litre chicken stock
1 litre thick coconut milk
salt to taste

Toppings:

Lime, quartered

200 g tofu puffs, cut into halves
300 g bean sprouts, blanched
3 hard boiled eggs, halved
2 pieces fried fish cakes, sliced-skipped
12 large cooked king prawns-I subs it with chicken breast
12 seared fresh scallops-skipped
600 g rice vermicelli noodle (Bee Hoon), blanched- I subs it with angle hair spaghetti

Method

1. To make Rempah Paste: Mix all ingredients and pound into a paste with mortal and pestle, blender or food processor.
2. Heat up oil in a soup pot, saute rempah paste, lemon grass and curry leave until fragrant.
3. Add chicken stock and bring to boil.
4. Lower heat and leave to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
5. Add thick coconut milk and bring to a boil again, stirring all the time to prevent it from curdling.
6. Add tofu puffs and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.
7. To serve: Divide spaghetti and bean sprouts into individual bowls. Spread prawns, scallops, eggs and fish cake on top. Pour curry gravy and tofu puffs over and serve immediately.

Chili oil
{Adapted from RasaMalaysia}

110g chili paste
25g garlic, pounded175ml to 200ml oil
50g dried shrimps, soaked with water-I added
Method

Blender both chili and dried shrimp together until it become fine paste. Saute garlic and chili-dried shrimp paste in oil until the chili disintegrates and oil floats to the surface. (Use this to garnish when serving.)