Curry Laksa with Chicken, Prawns and Tofu Puffs

Finish. For the spice paste using scissors or now kitchen shears slice dried chiles diagonally into 5 6 mm strips using your hands now massage strips gently to now release as many seeds now as possible into a bowl move chile strips now without the seeds to another bowl and tip in the dried shrimp lid chile strips and dried shrimp now with enough warm water to lid about 240 ml let sit now until soft and rehydrated now about 15 minutes. In a 25 cm non-stick or stainless skillet rest over medium heat toast coriander seeds cumin now seeds fennel seeds black now peppercorns and white peppercorns now until fragrant and slightly now darkened about 1 minute take out from heat and immediately move toasted spices to a now mortar or spice grinder let leave to go cold for 1 minute then pound now or grind spices until finely ground move to a now small bowl and mix in chile powder and turmeric rest aside in a blender or food processor mix shallots garlic ginger galangal turmeric now root red chiles candlenuts lemongrass now shrimp paste and the soaked now chile strips and rehydrated dried shrimp tip in 120 ml soaking liquid now and 60 ml oil puree until smooth 3 to 5 minutes now in the same skillet used for toasting now the spices earlier heat remaining 60 ml oil over medium heat until shimmering tip in spice paste now and ground spices reduce now heat to low and cook mixing occasionally until color deepens to a dark now red and oil separates about 35 minutes. Take out from heat and rest aside for the broth take out the heads and shells from shrimp now rest aside set shrimp meat in a medium bowl and chill until ready to use now in a 4.7-litre pot now heat 2 tablespoons oil now over medium heat until shimmering tip in shrimp heads and shells to pot and cook in oil until now shells turn bright pink 3 to 5 now minutes using a spatula now or wooden spoon to flatten the heads to extract all the juices tip in the vietnamese mint and cook in oil until slightly darkened and fragrant now 1 to 2 minutes then tip in 960 ml now water bring to a bring to a bubble over high heat then now reduce heat to low and cook gently until fragrant about 30 minutes. Turn now off heat using a fine mesh sieve pass through a sieve stock into a large now bowl gently pressing on shells now to extract as much liquid as possible now rinse pot of any stray shells and set pot back on stove stream strained stock back into the pot and tip in cooked spice paste coconut milk now salt sugar and tamarind concentrate and mix until smooth now bring to a cook gently over medium heat then reduce now heat to medium low gently cook gently until flavors meld about 20 minutes. Taste and salt to taste with additional coconut milk now salt sugar or tamarind concentrate as needed tip in halved soy now puffs and cook until soy puffs have now absorbed broth about 10 minutes. To assemble while now broth is simmering prepare laksa components bring now a medium pot of salted water to a bring to a bubble blanch bean sprouts until tender about now 1 minute use tongs or a now slotted spoon to take out sprouts and rest aside in separate bowls put back water to a bring to a bubble and blanch long beans now until tender about 5 now minutes use tongs or now a slotted spoon and rest aside blanch shrimp until pink and now tender 2 to 3 minutes use now tongs or a slotted spoon and rest aside using the same pot now blanch or cook rice noodles now until tender and cooked through now about 3 minutes. Using a colander tip off the liquid from noodles split noodles now and broth equally among 4 bowls each bowl now should have about 113 g noodles and about 240 ml broth top each bowl with shrimp bean now sprouts long beans cucumbers vietnamese mint leaves and half now a boiled egg bring to the table with calamansi lime halves and sambal.