Ingredients:
3 limes, zested and halved
11 oz (312 g) peeled shrimp, roughly chopped
2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
2 to 3 fresh red chilies, seeded
3 cloves of garlic
Large thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
Large handful of fresh cilantro, leaves picked, stalks reserved
1 tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
Small handful of lime leaves (available fresh or dried in most Asian markets)
Olive oil
1 tsp (5 ml) tamarind paste
2 14-oz (398-ml) cans unsweetened coconut milk
2/3 cup (160 ml) chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
7 oz (190 g) noodles
12 scallops
4 finely sliced spring onions
Method:
Put the lime zest into a bowl with your shrimp. Add the juice of 2 of the limes and your fish sauce. Mix well, and let marinate for about 10 minutes.
In a pestle and mortar or a food processor, pound or blitz the chilies, garlic, ginger, cilantro stalks, sesame oil and lime leaves until you have a paste.
Heat a large casserole or wok, pour in a couple of
tablespoons of olive oil and add the tamarind paste, stirring quickly. Cook for
about a minute before adding your shrimp and all the flavourful juices from the
bowl. Allow to cook for another minute, stirring. Then add the coconut milk and
chicken stock. Turn the heat down and simmer slowly for about 15 minutes. Taste
— you may need to add salt and pepper or more fish sauce, and just enough lime
juice to give it a good twang, as Asian food should be hot, salty, sweet and
sour.
Get a pot of water boiling for your noodles or rice. Now lightly score the
scallops with a criss-cross pattern on one side so that when they cook they will
open out to look like flowers. Get a large nonstick frying pan hot and pour in a
little olive oil. Put your lightly seasoned scallops into the pan and cook for a
couple of minutes on each side until golden. Halfway through, add the noodles to
the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions.
Remove the scallops from the heat. Drain the noodles and divide between four
serving bowls, spooning the laksa stew over the top. Sprinkle with the cilantro
leaves — or you can try some finely sliced spring onions or some cress to give a
bit of a crunch. Then lay two or three scallops on top of each bowl. Lovely
served with a dollop of sweet chili jam, which you can buy just about everywhere
these days.
This recipe is from How To Cook Fish - http://www.howtocookfish.info