Rempah (Paste)
(use a food processor to grind the ingredients together):

2 lemon grass (serai)
2 thumbsize galangal (lengkuas)(sliced thinly)
12 candlenuts (buah keras)
25 shallots (bawang merah)
15 dried chillies or 2 tbsp ground chilli powder
2 slices shrimp paste (belachan)
1 tbsp tumeric powder or 2 thumbsize pieces fresh tumeric (kunyit)
2 tbsp coriander (ketumbar) powder
4 ozs dried prawns, ground finely

Heat a frying pan till hot, add in 20 tbs oil and stir fry rempah on
low fire till fragrant and chilli oil oozes out from the mixture. Add in
ground dried prawns and stir fry mixture for another 2-3 mins. Put up
the fire, add in prawn stock (60ozs) and coconut milk (60oz) and bring
to boil. Add sugar and salt to taste. Lower the fire and simmer for
10 minutes stirring continuously.

Garnish:
1 1/2 lb tiger prawns, boiled and peeled
1 1/2 lb fried fish cake, sliced
1 1/2 lb bean sprouts
4 lbs laksa noodles (lai fen)
20 stalks laksa leaves (daun kesom), washed and shredded
3 packets of tofu puffs, cut into slices
12 eggs boiled and quartered

To Serve:
Blanch noodles and beansprouts in hot boiling water and drain. Place
invindividual serving bowls and arrange prawns, fish cake, tofu puff and
egg slices on top. Pour the steaming hot soup over the noodles and
sprinkle generously with laksa leaves.

Makes 10 to 15 portions ("party sized")