Hotel Jen Orchard Gateway presents an alternative take on the classic Peranakan dish
Photo: Hotel Jen
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 700g white rice, uncooked
- 2 pandan leaves
- 700-800g water
- 50g coconut milk
Chilli Sambal
- 15 fresh red chillies
- 15 dried chillies
- 30g belachan (shrimp paste)
- 220ml vegetable cooking oil
- Salt to taste
Laksa Paste
- 100g dried shrimps, soaked
- 300g lemongrass, cut into 4cm lengths and lightly smash
- 300g small onions, chopped
- 50g blue ginger, peel and slice finely
- 30g belachan (shrimp paste)
- 10 candlenuts, blended
- 10 fresh red chillies, sliced
- 2½ tbsp coriander powder
- Handful of kesom/laksa leaves
- 200g vegetable cooking oil
- Salt to taste
Laksa Fried Rice
- 8 king prawns
- 200g fried bean curd, cut into small cubes
- 400g beansprouts
- 500g shrimps
- 200g fish cake, sliced
Method
- Rice: Heat a pot over low heat. Add the oil and fry the lemongrass. Add the rice, followed by the pandan leaves and continue frying until it is well mixed. Add the water, bring to boil and let simmer. Add the coconut milk and cover the pot until the rice is cooked. Set aside, remove the pandan leaves and lemongrass. Let the rice cool to room temperature.
- Chilli Sambal: Blend everything together until the mixture is smooth. Fry the mixture in the oil over medium heat, stir regularly until fragrant. Drain the remaining oil for use later. Set aside the chilli sambal.
- Laksa Spice Paste: Drain the soaked dried prawns and dry well. Blend until roughly chopped, dry fry (with no oil) and set aside. Blend the rest of the ingredients for the laksa paste until smooth. Add the fried shrimps to the blended mixture in a wok and fry over medium heat using the drained chilli oil from Step 1. Keep on frying until the oil rises to the top and set aside.
- Laksa Fried Rice: Cut the king prawns lengthwise without separating it into half. Spread ½ teaspoon of the laksa paste onto the flesh. Heat a pan to medium-high, place the king prawns with the meat against the pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Cook until firm and set aside. Heat the wok, add the laksa paste and fry. Add the fried bean curd. Add the rice, followed by the beansprouts, shrimps and fish cake. Mix well. Top with a king prawn. Serve with the chilli sambal.
Chef Lee Hoong Wan
Chef Lee Hoong Wan made his culinary debut some 30 years ago with a western restaurant making only omelettes and sandwiches. Self-directed with a conspicuous passion for cooking, he often ventures out of Singapore to explore other countries in search of inspiration to enhance his culinary knowledge and skills.
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