Recipe - Laksa

One half pound Rice vermicelli
3 pound Whole fish
7 1/3 cup Water
2 teaspoon Galangal powder
3 Stems lemon grass chopped
5 Sprigs fresh mint
5 Sprigs fresh basil
8 Dried kaffir lime leaves
4 Dried red chillies, halved
8 small Fresh red chillies, halved
8 Dried kaffir lime leaves
extra
3 2/3 cup Coconut cream
3 ounce Bean sprouts (chinese white)
2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Caster sugar

CHILI PASTE
3 Stems lemon grass, finely
chopped
One fourth teaspoon Shrimp paste
1/3 cup Water
3 teaspoon Galangal powder
3 small Fresh chillies

Add vermicelli to pan of boiling water, boil uncovered 2 minutes or until
just tender, rinse and drain.

Remove and discard heads from fish, fillet fish, reserving bones.

Remove and discard fish skin. Cut fillets into strips.

Combine water, powder, lemon grass, mint, basil, lime leaves, and dried and
fresh chillies in pan, simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Add fish bones, simmer for another 10 minutes. Strain resulting stock,
discarding bones and chilli mixture. You need 1125 ml of stock so add water
if necessary.

Place extra lime leaves in a bowl, cover with warm water, stand 20 minutes.
Drain, and slice leaves thinly.

Return stock to pan, add chilli paste, fish strips, coconut cream, cut or sliced up
lime leaves, sprouts, salt and sugar and bring to the boil. Divide
vermicelli into serving bowls, pour soup over it. Garnish with extra cut or sliced up
chillies, baby basil leaves and bean sprouts.

Chilli paste. Blend or process all ingredients until smooth.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini