Recipe Clam Laksa

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Obsessive cook
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Joined
19 Apr 2015
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Location
Maidstone, Kent, UK
Laksa is a flexible dish, basically a spicy soup with noodles and coconut milk and fish or chicken - but you can also use tofu. Clams happened to be available at the moment and I love them. Its the turmeric which provides the wonderful golden colour and if you can get fresh turmeric then its well worth it for the intensity of flavour. I've used scotch bonnet peppers but you could use any hot chillies. This recipe provides a starter for 2.

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Photographed today in natural light.
Ingredients
2 heaped tsp grated fresh turmeric (or 2 tsp turmeric powder)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 medium yellow scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped
3 inch stick of lemongrass
2 heaped tsp garlic puree
2 heaped tsp ginger puree
3 Kaffir lime leaves
2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp shrimp paste
350 ml coconut milk
50g noodles
10-12 fresh clams
Fresh coriander and a little finely sliced red chilli to scatter over.

Method
  • Grate the lemongrass, using only the inner tender parts of the stem (I used a microplane). Mix with the yellow scotch bonnet, garlic, ginger and shrimp paste to make the laksa paste.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the paste. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes adding a little water if necessary.
  • Mix in the coconut milk, fish sauce and lime leaves and simmer gently for ten minutes.
  • Cook the noodles in boiling water for ten minutes and drain (I used Japanese Udon noodles).
  • Add the noodles to the sauce and arrange the clams on top.
  • Place a lid over the pan and simmer gently until the clams open.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander and the red chilli.
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I am just along to admire. I don't know where I will find these and I know the only one who's going to be excited about the dish might be my husband.
 
This recipe is divine! I spotted some Palourdes clams at the fishmonger on a Friday morning and immediately thought of this recipe. As Friday was a day off this became the perfect light lunch, so fresh and fragrant, all it needed was a good squeeze of lime juice and a bottle of cold Muscadet. The only change I would make next time (and there will be a a next time) would be to try using rice instead of noodles - it's a bit tricky to eat with slippery noodles and tiny clams when you're not a patient eater! Thank you @morning glory :)
 
epicuric said:
This recipe is divine! I spotted some Palourdes clams at the fishmonger on a Friday morning and immediately thought of this recipe. As Friday was a day off this became the perfect light lunch, so fresh and fragrant, all it needed was a good squeeze of lime juice and a bottle of cold Muscadet. The only change I would make next time (and there will be a a next time) would be to try using rice instead of noodles - it's a bit tricky to eat with slippery noodles and tiny clams when you're not a patient eater! Thank you @morning glory :)
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Thank you! I agree about the noodles being a bit tricky- but that is a definition of a Laksa! Rice would just float about and wouldn't look very pretty, I think.

Did you use fresh turmeric? It makes a huge difference.
 
No I just used powdered turmeric, never seen fresh locally but will ask if the greengrocer can source some next time. The rice idea comes from a rice soup I often have for breakfast in our local market. its Jasmine rice and somehow it sinks to the bottom of the broth, maybe they overcook it. You would love it, I'm sure - it's covered in slices of fresh chilli! Not a conventional breakfast :)
 
epicuric said:
No I just used powdered turmeric, never seen fresh locally but will ask if the greengrocer can source some next time. The rice idea comes from a rice soup I often have for breakfast in our local market. its Jasmine rice and somehow it sinks to the bottom of the broth, maybe they overcook it. You would love it, I'm sure - it's covered in slices of fresh chilli! Not a conventional breakfast :)
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I found the fresh turmeric in Waitrose! That breakfast soup sounds lovely.
 
Ah, Waitrose, will try there. The rice soup is lovely. I will send you a photo next time I go. There is something quite liberating about eating fresh hot chillies for breakfast!
 
epicuric said:
Ah, Waitrose, will try there. The rice soup is lovely. I will send you a photo next time I go. There is something quite liberating about eating fresh hot chillies for breakfast!
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I never eat breakfast but have been known to nibble chillies first thing in the morning... :D
 
I don't know if you do on-line delivery shops (I do), but Ocado do fresh turmeric. You get rather a lot in a packet but you can pop it into the freezer and grate straight from frozen. No need to peel.
 
morning glory said:
I don't know if you do on-line delivery shops (I do), but Ocado do fresh turmeric. You get rather a lot in a packet but you can pop it into the freezer and grate straight from frozen. No need to peel.
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I don't - I enjoy food shopping too much!
 
epicuric said:
I don't - I enjoy food shopping too much!
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I think I just get bored with trucking around supermarkets for the basics - milk, eggs, cereal etc. I'm feeding four to five people every day so thats a lot of stuff - probably 20 pints of milk per week! I resent the fact that I have to load shopping in a trolly, then unload it onto the check-out, then load it back into the trolley, then load it into the boot of the car, then unload it from the boot of the car and carry it into the house, then unpack it and put it away. That makes 5 lots of loading! With delivery, they bring it right into my kitchen! Also, Ocado in particular, stock quite a few items that are impossible to get in supermarkets. Fresh tamarind for example and fresh yeast.
 
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