Laksa

My favorite noodles of all times other than kue tiaw is laksa. Why I favor this dish so much, is due to its fishy smell added with a hint of kesum leaves, and addition of the smell of torch ginger bud. Moreover, the combination of spicy and sour from the lime gives it a nice thick soup for your pallette. I adore those innocent plain white vermicelli noodles that manages to soak up all the wonderful flavors from the soup. It is so irresistable. Not to mention the condiments which gives it the added texture and health qualities making it a meal. oh~ how I wish I could eat one now.

Laksa is actually the plain white noodles which is a type of vermicelli. How it got its name is unknown. According to the wikipedia, it is a noodles soup from Peranakan culture also known as Baba and Nyonya, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. I have been devouring this dish for so long that I myself do not know its history.

There are actually two types of laksa; curry laksa and assam laksa. I prefer assam laksa instead of curry laksa. Well, I am not a coconut milk kind of person thus I rather choose the non milky texture soup. However, both of them are a must if you desire for a Malaysian culinary adventure.

Usually, assam laksa is eaten with the addition of otak udang (prawn paste). It gives it a thick and sweet taste to the soup. I love mine with it. The must have condiments are shredded cucumber, chillies, limes and hard boiled eggs.

It can be found anywhere throughout Malaysia either in streets hawker, kopitiam, restaurants and even hotels. The price is normally at about RM2.50 however some sold at a higher price due to portion size and environment.

Try them out and if you want the recipes just mail me.

Our lunch

Fried tauge with fried garlic

Stir fry beef

Due to boredness and hunger, I thought I whipped out something good to ate.
Yum~ so I discovered the two of this. It was delicious and simple to cook.

Polo Bun

Last week I saw a show on food that featured polo bun in a simple kopitiam.

I asked my aunt indonesian maid about it cause my aunt loves eating it, she told me it was a sweet bun. So I thought that would a nice thing to do this tomorrow. So I googled it and found the recipe.

I was quite terified in making bun because I am not good at kneading dough. It makes me tired. lol. Anyways due to my determination in making this happen. I tried it anyways.

Suprisingly, this dough is very soft and less effort is taken when kneading. oh yeah, you might be wondering why I do not used the machine because mine is not that strong enough to be kneading dough. So I use my hands instead. They always say, its better to use your hand. After kneading a few minutes. I let it rest for a good hour. Here's the picture:


Polo bun is made with two types of dough. The first is the yeast dough then second one is the topping which is a sweet dough. Here's both of the dough after it was finished. Time for another hour for rising before baking.

The good looking bun after baked. I glazed with egg washed before baking so that it shines.

Here is the recipe I took from a website. Thanks to them.

Polo Bun

Dough:

• 240g bread flour (2 cups less 3 tablespoons), I used all-purpose flour
• 60g cake flour (8 tablespoons)
• 45g sugar (3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon)
• 5g yeast (1 1/2 teaspoons)
• 30cc egg (1 medium egg)
• 135g water (125ml)
• 3g salt (1/2 teaspoon)
• 9g milk powder (2 tablespoons)
• 30cc warm water
• 45g butter (3 tablespoons)

Topping:

• 80g butter (6 tablespoons)
• 50g icing sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 50cc egg
• 5g milk powder (1 tablespoon)
• 150g cake flour (1 1/4 cups)
• another egg for egg wash

Methods:

1. Firstly,in a bowl add the flour, sugar, and yeast, salt, and milk powder.
2. Then, add in the butter and make sure that everything goes well together.
3. After that, add in the egg and gradually add in the warm water.
4. Knead the dough for about a few minutes until well combine.
5. Let it rest for an hour.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the topping by adding the butter and sugar. Cream it until the butter turns pale.
7. Then add in the vanilla and mix well.
8. After that, add in the egg and mix it.
9. Gradually, add in the milk powder and flour. Fold them until form a dough. Set aside.
10. After the dough has risen, knock out all the air and roll them out into balls.
11. Place in baking pan and let them rise for another hour.
12. After that, roll out the topping into balls and flatten it on top of the dough. Brush with egg wash.
13 Bake in the preheated oven for 170C (325F) for 10 - 15 minutes.

Enjoy!