Tag: Southeast Asian

Chicken Laksa

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What’s more comforting than noodle soup? Nothing. A fragrant coconutty broth and sprinkling of bright toppings have made this my favorite laksa since the one I had in Singapore.

You can make the laksa paste, fry the crispy shallots, and cook the chicken ahead of time so that the final soup assembly is a breeze. Finally, good laksa at home.

Ingredients:

For the laksa paste:

  • 3 medium shallots, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
  • 4 lemongrass stalks, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1 4-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 small dried red chiles (deseeded if you like your laksa less spicy)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 cup chicken stock, divided
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 2 teaspoons minced anchovies
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar

For the soup:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 1 15-ounce can coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
  • 10 ounces dried rice noodles
  • 2 8-ounce cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
  • 4 green onions, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 cup fried shallots
  • 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
  1. Make the laksa paste: combine shallots, lemongrass, oil, ginger, red chiles, garlic, and 1/2 cup stock in a blender; process until mixture forms a thick, smooth paste, about 30 seconds. Add peanuts, anchovies, turmeric, coriander, sugar, and remaining 1/2 cup stock to blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  2. Make the soup: heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add laksa paste, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk in stock and coconut milk; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in fish sauce, and add more to taste, if desired.
  3. While stock mixture simmers, cook rice noodles according to package directions. Divide rice noodles evenly among 4 bowls. Arrange sliced chicken evenly on noodles. Ladle hot stock mixture evenly into bowls. Top evenly with bean sprouts, green onions, mint, cilantro, fried shallots, and lime wedges.

Weeknight Turkey Curry

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I can’t really categorize this dish: it’s a little bit South Asian, a little bit East Asian, a little bit American. It’s comfort food, though, and an easy one at that. Make this when you’re trying to clear out your pantry, serve over rice, and you’re golden.

Ingredients:
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound ground turkey (or beef)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 5 teaspoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon Madras curry poweder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 ounces Japanese curry sauce mix (such as House Foods Vermont Curry or S&B Golden Curry)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups cooked rice and kimchi, for serving
  1. Pulse onion, carrots, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.
  2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add turkey, salt, and season with pepper. Cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Add onion mixture and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in butter, then sprinkle flour over and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  3. Mix in soy sauce and fish sauce. Pour in broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Reduce heat and simmer occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8-10 minutes.
  4. Stir in curry sauce mix and simmer, stirring often, until gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and remove from heat.
  5. Serve curry on top of rice in serving bowls and with kimchi on the side.

Spicy Curry Chicken Noodle Soup

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Right about this time of year is when I get officially sick of wintertime and start to count down the days until summer. The cold is overrated, but noodle soups help me get through. This spicy curry one is vaguely Southeast Asian and transports me to a warmer climate — at least in my imagination, for now.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped shallots
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder (I use a blend of Madras and roasted Sri Lankan curry powders)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
  • 1 1/2 14-ounce cans coconut milk, divided
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 cups snow peas, trimmed
  • 2 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled red-skinned sweet potato (yam; from about 1 large)
  • 1 pound dried rice vermicelli noodles or rice stick noodles
  • 3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 red jalapeno chiles, thinly sliced with seeds
  • 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
  1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add next 4 ingredients; stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in curry paste, curry powder, and chili paste. Add 1/2 cup coconut milk (scooped from thick liquid at top of can). Stir until thick and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add remaining coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and sugar; bring broth to boil. Keep warm.
  2. Cook snow peas in pot of boiling salted water until bright green, about 20 seconds. Using strainer, remove peas from pot; rinse under cold water to cool. Place peas in medium bowl. Bring water in same pot back to boil. Add sweet potato and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Using strainer, remove sweet potato from pot and rinse under cold water to cool. Place in small bowl. Bring water in same pot back to boil and cook noodles until just tender but still firm to bite , about 6 minutes. Drain; rinse under cold water to cool.
  3. Bring broth to simmer. Add chicken; simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add sweet potato; stir to heat through, about 1 minute. Divide noodles among bowls. Divide snow peas and hot soup among bowls. Scatter red onion, green onions, cilantro, and chiles over soup. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Nasi Lemak (Fragrant Coconut Rice with Crispy Anchovies, Peanuts, and Cucumber)

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I’ll be real with you: the first time I made this nasi lemak I told myself I wouldn’t make it again. It took too long to make! Too many components. But then I took a coconuty, eggy, cucumbery, peanuty bite, and uh, I guess this one’s a keeper. Crunchy, crispy, savory, and sweet, this Malaysian classic has it all. 

Ingredients:

3 1/2 ounces dried bird chiles or dried chiles de arbol
1 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup peanuts
2 1/2 cups small dried anchovies
2 shallots, halved
3 garlic cloves
2 Holland chiles (or similar red chile), stems removed, halved lengthwise
4 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons tamarind paste
2 cups jasmine rice
1 teaspoon salt
3 pandan leaves
1/2 cup coconut milk
4 eggs
2 Persian cucumbers or 1/2 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
Soy sauce, for serving

1. Chop dried chiles into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding the seeds that fall out. Place in a small bowl and pour in boiling water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes to soften, then drain.

2. Meanwhile, bring oil and peanuts to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook, adjusting heat as needed, until peanuts are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer nuts to paper towels to drain; set aside for serving. Immediately add anchovies to oil and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels; let cool. Set ¼ cup oil aside.

3. Pulse shallots, garlic, and 1/4 cup fried anchovies (save remaining anchovies for serving) in a food processor until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add dried and Holland chiles to food processor (no need to clean) and pulse until very smooth and no visible pieces of dried chile remain. Transfer chile puree to a small bowl.

4. Heat reserved oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until shimmering. Add shallot mixture and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix in chile puree and cook, stirring often, until it starts to stick to bottom of skillet, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add sugar, tamarind concentrate, and 1/4 cup water and cook, stirring often, until sambal is much darker in color and thickened, 25–35 minutes.(Sambal ikan bilis can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool; cover and chill.)

5. Make the rice: place rinsed/cleaned rice in a medium saucepan and cover with 2½ cups cold water; stir in salt. Gather pandan leaves together and tie into a knot; add to pan. Bring rice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover pan and reduce heat to low; cook 18 minutes. Remove lid and stir in coconut milk. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Lower eggs into water. Cook 10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel eggs and cut in half lengthwise.

7. Combine sambal ikan bilis, reserved fried peanuts, and reserved fried anchovies in a medium bowl and toss to evenly coat. Scoop a generous ½ cup sambal mixture into a 12-oz. bowl. Top with 1½ cups rice and pack into bowl with a rubber spatula to compress. The bowl should be filled to the rim. Place a slightly larger bowl upside down over bowl of rice. Invert so larger bowl is now on the bottom; lift off smaller bowl. You should have a dome of rice and anchovy mixture nestled in the center of the larger bowl. Arrange 8 cucumber slices around rice dome, overlapping slightly to make a semicircle. Add 2 egg halves to side of rice with no cucumber slices; season yolks lightly with soy sauce. Repeat with remaining rice, sambal mixture, cucumbers, and eggs to make 3 more bowls.

Congee with Soft Boiled Egg

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I’ve waxed poetic a ton about my love of congee before. It doesn’t matter if it’s Taiwanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, or Singaporean — I’m always game for a comforting bowl of rice porridge adorned with all kinds of salty-spicy-sour-herby toppings. This version, one of my favorites, is Thai and is adapted from Kris Yenbamroong’s Night + Market.

Congee with soft boiled egg

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 eggs
1/4 cup minced garlic
Vegetable oil
2 inches ginger, peeled and cut into short matchsticks
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sliced green onions
Fish sauce
Pepper
Chile oil

1. Make the fried garlic: Pour 1 inch of oil into a saucepan. Heat the oil over medium-low. Add the garlic and fry until golden and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir occasionally, especially towards the end of cooking when the garlic has taken on a golden color. Remove the garlic using a slotted spoon and cool on a paper towel-lined plate.

2. In a large pot, bring 3 1/2 quarts water to a boil. Add the rice, bouillon cubes, and salt and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the grains have mostly dissolved and the rice has broken down into a porridge, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Boil the eggs for 5 to 6 minutes and remove from the pot. Cool eggs slightly and peel.

4. Once the congee is done, divide it onto serving bowls and garnish each with a soft-boiled egg, fried garlic, ginger, cilantro, green onions, and fish sauce, pepper, and chile oil to taste.