SINGAPORE LAKSA

When I first went to England to study, my Malaysian housemates would always be doing the cooking and they would just asked me to go help buy the groceries and do the washing up. It was fine by me as their cooking was delicious.

That was until one day when one of my friend's sister and brother-in-law, Elizabeth and Philip (a Britisher) asked why I never did the cooking. Well, my housemates said that they did not want to eat just boiled eggs, boiled potatoes or raw carrots since they said that was the only food they saw me cooking for myself when I wanted more food. Anyway, Philip insisted that I cook a meal when he and his wife dropped by to visit us.

Cook a meal I did and in the process gave everyone a Big Surprise. After the meal only did everyone realise that this Chinese lady can really cook. Heh! Heh! Heh! Anyway from that time onwards, each time the Philip and his wife came, they'd request that I do the cooking. Well! I guess that is in itself a compliment to my culinary skills.

Even my next door neighbour also had the idea that I could not cook when I first moved in. Many a-times I'd just buy food and eat it at home or eat instant noodles if I was busy. My neighbour would always be sending over food that she had cooked for me. Sometimes, I had to refuse as the food she cooked contained pork, mutton or beef - all of which I don't eat. She also advised me to learn how to cook as she said that every woman should have such skills as she would have to cook for her family. I did tell her that I could cook but she said, "Yeah, yeah. I know you cook Maggi Mee and simple dishes only".

One fine day, I cooked a complete dinner course and invited both she and her hubby over to my house to sample my cooking. Since that day, she never ever said I could not cook nor did she say again that she'd teach me how to cook. Even Eric had thought that I could not cook since he imagined that my only skills had to do with the computer and the Internet. But his opinion has also changed.

But my friends in school has never ever doubted my cooking skills. Today I cooked Singapore Laksa as a special meal for the launching ceremony of the Fruit Garden in my school. Here is my modified recipe if you want to try it out.

SINGAPORE LAKSA

1. Boil a pot of water and cook prawns till they turn pink. Then shell the prawns when cool.
2. Put the peeled prawns and stock aside.
3. Next process the shallots, chillis, belacan, dried shrimp and buah keras in a chopper till fine.
4. Add powdered spices to the paste.
5. Heat oil in a pot large enough for the gravy. Add brown spice paste, lemon grass stalks and a little water from time to time to prevent burning, until oil rises to the surface. Add prawn stock, followed by santan (c0conut milk), stirring all the time to prevent curdling until it boils.
6. Season with salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
7. Boil some water in another pot and boil dried noodles (bihun). Drain and place noodles into a big bowl. The diners would take the portions that they would like to eat.
8. Top with beansprouts. Garnish with fishcake slices, shredded cucumber, pineapples, daun kesom. You can also use mint leaves, crabsticks and bunga kantan.
9. As an option you can pour over hot coconut gravy and serve with a dollop of pounded chilli mixed with a pinch of salt.