Photo: 王漢順 (取自鏡週刊)

Some are suspicious of the Tilapia, especially on how it is farmed, whether it is safe to eat, and if the rumours that surrounding it are true. What we do agree on is that it tastes good and it is inexpensive. You can find it easily in markets, or they can be caught (or scooped out) by the in rivers, streams, or sewer canals. As Taiwan continues to attract the Southeast Asian labour force, so it also indirectly imports their food cultures. The artist will demonstrate a way to cook the Tilapia fish – to make Asam Laksa with it. Asam Laksa is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore; it is tangy and spicy, and the stock is usually made from the river fish itself. If this dish is well-prepared, the aroma of the fresh spices not only will take away the muddy smell of the fish, it can also will accentuate its savoriness. The combination of fresh ingredients, garnishes, noodles, and fish make this a refreshing and mouth-watering dish to enjoy.

Portion:

serves 7 – 8

Ingredients

1 kg pre-cooked laksa noodles (or thick rice noodles)

Ground spice paste:

15 fresh red chilies and 10 dried chilies 80g shallots

6 cloves garlic

1 inch galangal

1 inch fresh turmeric

3 stalks lemongrass (use the white part only)

20g belacan (dried shrimp paste)

Photo: Chen Chia-zen (MNML19)

Stock:

15 cups water

4 stalks lemongrass (lightly smashed the white part)

2 torch ginger flower (or replaced with Myoga ginger)

3 inches of galangal (halved)

1.5 kg Tilapia fish

4-5 tbsp tamarind paste

10 stalks Vietnamese mint (daun kesum) Salt to taste

Sugar or to taste

Garnish:

80g red onions (thinly sliced)

1 cucumber (thinly sliced)

Chinese lettuce (thinly sliced)

1 torch ginger bud / Myoga ginger (finely sliced)

1/2 fresh pineapple (sliced into small pieces)

2 cups mint leaves

1 red chili (thinly sliced)

Seasoning:

Sweetened prawn paste (or XO sauce)

Calamansi (halved)

Photo: Rikey

Method

1. Blend spice paste ingredients into a fine paste.
2. Heat a pot of water and add lemongrass, galangal, torch ginger flower. Bring to a boil and then add fish. Boil on medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked.
3. Transfer cooked fish to a bowl and let cool. Strain broth to remove spices. Add to the broth the Vietnamese mint, tamarind juice and tamarind peel and continue to boil on low heat.
4. Break the fish meat into tiny pieces, but keep some in bigger chunks.
5. When it reaches a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes to one hour. While simmering, add salt and sugar to balance the spiciness and sourness to your liking.
6. Last, fill a bowl with noodle, pour in the soup, and garnish with sliced cucumber, pineapples, onions, mint leaves, chilies, torch ginger flower and fish flakes. Add calamansi lime on the side, and serve with a spoonful of shrimp paste if you like.

Note: Some of the ingredients are not easily available, this recipe has been customised based on what’s available in Taipei at the time of the research residency.

Google Maps

Places in Taipei area to source ingredients, refer to the map (Google Map)

• The Second Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, known as the Binjiang Market (濱江果菜市場);
• The First Thai/Burmese Shop (第一泰緬商店), Gin-Ying Shop (金鷹商店) at Huaxin Street, Zhonghe District;
• Rear of Zhungli Railway Station;
• Zhongzhen Street Market in Longgang District, Zhungli City;
• Gin-Wan-Wan Building (金萬萬大樓) at Zhongshan North Road, Taipei City
• Vietnamese shops near JiangGuo Market in Qizang MRT Station, New Taipei City;
• EEC Elite Express in Taipei City Mall (台北地下街)

Photo: Chen Chia-jen (MNML19)

This recipe was based on the recipe found on the blog “season with spice” and put together based on the ingredients can be sourced in Taipei at the time of the NML research residency. It is part of the content for the Meeting NML #19: “Wu Guo Yu – The Indigenous Foreign Species”, a sharing session organised by No Man’s Land.

NML Residency and Nusantara Archive Project (1st year)
2017, September, first edition
(c) Hoo Fan Chon