Get Premium access to all the latest content online
Subscribe and view full print editions online... Subscribe
Fish ball laksa
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 175g (prepared weight) white fish, filleted, skinned and cut into chunks
- 1tbsp soy sauce
- 2.5 tsp ground turmeric
For the laksa paste
- 1-2 red chillies, to taste
- 50g shallots (peeled weight)
- 2tsp peeled and chopped fresh galangal or ginger
- 2 lemongrass stalks
- 1.5tsp shrimp pasta
- 1tsp ground turmeric
For the broth
- 3tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
- 400ml can coconut milk
- 1 litre fish stock
- 300g noodles
- 3tbsp fish sauce or to taste
- juice 1/2-1 lime
- 225g firm tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
- 75g ready to eat beansprouts
- 4 eggs, boiled for 6-7 minutes, then peeled and halved
- small handful coriander leaves, to serve
For the crispy fried shallots
- 150g shallots, finely sliced
- 250ml olive or sunflower oil
Method
First make the crispy shallots (youcandothisuptoafew days in advance). Put the shallots in a deep saucepan and cover them with the oil. Bring to the boil and cook them for a few minutes until they’re really bubbling, then turn the heat down to low and cook for 8-10 minutes more, stirring regularly, until they start to turn a light golden brown. Make sure they cook evenly and don’t burn in patches. Pour the shallots and oil into a metal sieve set over a bowl (save the shallot-flavoured oil for another recipe), then tip the shallots on to kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt. Store in an airtight container until needed.
To make the fish balls, put the fish chunks in a food processor or blender with the soy sauce and cornflour and blend until you have a sticky paste. Using clean, slightly damp hands, roll the mixture into 20 balls, weighing around 9-10g each. Transfer to a plate or tray and chill for at least 30 minutes or until you’re ready to cook them.
Meanwhile, put all the laksa paste ingredients in a food processor or blender with 2tbsp water and blend until the mixture forms a paste.
For the broth, pour 1tbsp of the oil into a saucepan set over a medium heat and add the laksa paste. Stir and fry for around 4-5 minutes until fragrant, then add the coconut milk and stock and bring the mixture to the boil, turning the heat up to high.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the pack instructions. Drain, leaving a few tbsp of the liquid in with the noodles, and set aside.
Add the fish balls to the boiling coconut broth and cook over a medium to high heat for 6–7 minutes, until they are cooked. Cut one in half to check – it should be opaque all the way through. Add the fish sauce and lime juice to taste.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2tbsp oil in a frying pan set over a high heat. Add the tofu and fry for around 5 minutes on all sides until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside to keep warm.
Put the noodles into bowls, then add the beansprouts. Pour the hot broth over the top, then divide the fish balls and the golden fried tofu among the bowls. Top with 2 halves of softly-boiled egg per bowl, then sprinkle with the coriander and crispy fried shallots to serve.
This recipe was taken from the March 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
Advertisement