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Laksa Risotto

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Seafood Laksa Risotto by Chef Mickaël

Yes, you heard right, ATSM is going Italian. May we present to you our own take of Modern-Singaporean dish – Seafood Laksa Risotto. This is the first of some of the fusion recipes that our very own ATSM in-house chef – Mickaël, has creatively came up with, harmoniously incorporating ATSM’s Traditional Flavours of Singapore with classic European cuisine.

While brainstorming for recipes, we knew immediately Laksa Risotto would work perfectly. Imagine the natural sweetness from the seafood in the Laksa stock with a kick of spice in the aged-risotto rice.

Few tips that Mickaël has pointed out in making a good risotto, are specifically – consistent stirring of the rice as well as cooking by eye by intermittently pouring in the Laksa stock to the risotto rice and stirring it lovingly as we observe the rice absorbing in the goodness making it soft and velvety.

We hope that this recipe will be an inspiration for your next intimate gathering with your loved ones. Definitely a restaurant-worthy dish making, a glass of prosecco pairs excellently well with this umami filled dish.

Ingredients

Serves 6 people

  • Traditional Laksa Spice Blend 75g
  • Risotto Rice 250g
  • Onion (red or yellow) 100g
  • Garlic minced 3 clove
  • Dried Shrimps 150g
  • Prawns 500g
  • Mussels 500g
  • Dry white wine 250ml
  • Water 1.5L
  • Coconut milk 1L
  • Butter 100g
  • Parmigiano reggiano cheese grated 150g
  • Cooking oil
  • Laksa leaves (if available)
  • Salt and Sugar to taste

Featured Ingredients

ATSM Traditional Laksa Spice Blend
Premium dried shrimps. If you can’t find this in where you live, this can be made optional.
We used Acqeurello’s aged risotto rice for better texture.
We used a dry white wine to fry with the risotto rice.
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to be added when the rice are cooked.

We have simplified the cooking steps into 3 parts in making the Laksa Risotto –

  • Stir-Frying of Spice Paste
  • Making the Laksa Stock
  • Cooking the Risotto

Stir-Frying of Spice Paste

These are the most crucial steps in achieving an aromatic stock. We have provided you with the step-by-step pictorials on how we have turned the dry spice blend into a paste-like consistency and then stir-frying. There are a few mis en place to prepare before we proceed to stir-fry the spice paste.

Soak dried shrimps for about 10 mins with some warm water to rehydrate them again.
  • Mince the dried shrimps.
  • Set aside after mincing.
  • Combine spice blend with minced onions and 1/3 cup water.
  • Mix well and you should get a paste-like consistency then set aside.
1. Using a pot, add 2 tbsp of cooking oil then add minced dried shrimps for stir-frying.
2. On medium-low heat, stir-fry minced dried shrimps until golden brown and fragrant.
3. Set aside when the stir-frying is done.
4. Using the same pot, add 6 tbsp of cooking oil and stir-fry spice paste at medium-low heat for about 10-15mins.
5. You should observe the spice paste turning dark red, chili oil was released during the stir-frying and then gets absorbed back into the paste. You should be able to smell its intense fragrance at this point and it’s an indication that they are ready for the next step.
  • 6. Once the stir-frying of the paste is done, add in the dried shrimps.
  • 7. Stir-fry and mix well.

Making the Laksa Stock

To make a naturally sweet Laksa stock, your seafood needs to be really fresh of course. A good replacement for prawns could be scampi, crayfish or scallops to cook the stock. If you could get your hands on fresh laksa leaves (Vietnamese coriander), that will be a plus! However, it is not necessary for this recipe.

1. Add 1.5L of water into the pot and bring it up to a boil. At this point, if you have Laksa leaves, you may add a little bouquet in the stock and allow it to infuse and remove them before you add the seafood.
2. Add in the prepared prawns and mussels to make the stock naturally sweet.
3. Allow the seafood to simmer for about 15 mins.
  • 4. Stir in coconut milk and allow it to simmer for 5 mins.
  • 5. Add 2 tbsp of sugar to taste and turn off heat. The Laksa stock is done!

Cooking the Risotto

Why is there a need to stir-fry the risotto rice prior to cooking them in the stock? Mickaël shared that to cook a good risotto, it is an important step as this helps the rice to better absorb the bouillon (stock). It is really not as daunting as it may sound like. Bon, c’est parti!

1. Using a new pot, add 3 tbsp of cooking oil and add risotto rice. Stir-fry risotto rice for about 2 mins at medium-low heat.
2. Add minced garlic and stir-fry again.
3. At this point, the risotto rice will turn a little translucent as the oil coats them during the stir-frying process. It is important to achieve this so that the rice will better absorb the stock.
4. Add white wine into the rice.
5. Allow the rice to soak in the wine before we proceed to add the stock.
6. We will now add the Laksa stock a little at a time Do not pour in all the stock at one go.
7. Using a spatula, consistently stir the risotto rice and allow it to slowly reduce as the rice absorb the stock.
8. Proceed to add a little more Laksa stock again. Normally, risotto rice takes about 20 mins to cook, and during this time, repeat this step for about 3 times more until the texture looks creamy and velvety.
9. Add in butter and Parmigiano cheese and mix well. Taste the rice, and season accordingly with salt if you wish.
Voilà, your Seafood Laksa Risotto is done!

ATSM plat de fusion – Seafood Laksa Risotto

Cooking Notes

Spiciness – You may add more coconut milk (eg. 500ml ) should you like them a little less spicy. We would rate this recipe 3/5 for spiciness. If you have leftover stock, freeze the stock and use it to make laksa noodles the next time!

Replacing the wine – You may use water to cook the risotto rice and allow it to reduce before adding the laksa stock.

Garnish – We have set aside cooked mussels and seared some scallops and prawns for our plating. You may also garnish it with edible flowers or freshly chopped laksa leaves.

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