Malacca Laksa (Nyonya Laksa)

Step 1: Prepare Prawns for Stock and Paste

Peel the prawns, separating the heads and shells from the meat. Set the prawn meat aside for later use.

Step 2: Make Prawn Stock

In a pot, fry the prawn heads and shells in a generous amount of cooking oil until they turn nicely brown and aromatic. Add 1-1.5 liters of water and bring to a boil to extract all the flavors, forming the prawn stock.

Step 3: Prepare Rempah Ingredients

Chop the onions, red chilies, lemongrass, galangal, and garlic into smaller pieces. Rehydrate the dried chilies and chop them. Gather all rempah ingredients.

Step 4: Pound Rempah (Spice Paste)

Using a heavy granite mortar and pestle, pound all the rempah ingredients until a fibrous paste forms. This process helps release the juices and essential oils from the aromatics.

Step 5: Pound Prawn Paste

In the same mortar and pestle, pound the fresh prawn meat and dried prawns until a coarse paste forms. This adds an intense umami flavor to the laksa.

Step 6: Extract Fresh Coconut Milk

Crack open an old coconut and grate the flesh. Place the grated coconut into a cheesecloth and hand-squeeze to extract fresh coconut milk. Strain the coconut milk to remove any solids.

Step 7: Cook the Laksa Broth

Heat a generous amount of cooking oil in a wok. Add the hand-pounded rempah and fry until the color intensifies to a dark red and the oil separates, indicating the raw flavors have transformed. Add the pounded fresh prawn paste and dried prawns, stirring to combine. Pour in the prawn stock and bring the mixture to a boil to create a spicy broth.

Step 8: Add Coconut Milk and Seasoning

Add the fresh coconut milk to the broth and stir until well combined. Season with belacan (shrimp paste) and add the tofu puffs, allowing them to soak up the broth.

Step 9: Prepare Cockles and Laksa Leaves

Blanch the cockles in hot water until they slightly open, then extract the plump flesh. Take only the leaves from the laksa plant and finely mince them.

Step 10: Prepare Fresh Toppings

Julienne the fresh cucumber. Blanch the bean sprouts in hot water until just tender. Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions.

Step 11: Assemble and Serve Malacca Laksa

Place the cooked rice noodles in a bowl. Ladle a generous amount of the rich laksa broth over the noodles, ensuring some tofu puffs are included. Arrange the cooked prawns, extracted cockle meat, julienned cucumber, blanched bean sprouts, and minced laksa leaves on top. Serve immediately with a spoonful of sambal tumis (if reserved from rempah frying).

• Using a mortar and pestle to pound the rempah and prawns releases more flavors and creates a fibrous paste.

• Hand-squeezing fresh coconut milk provides a richer, more traditional taste compared to canned versions.

• Frying the prawn heads until nicely browned before boiling extracts maximum umami for the stock.

• This is one of many regional variations of Laksa found across Southeast Asia, each with unique ingredients and preparation methods.