A little late, but here is another laksa recipe from Wendy Huttons . This is laksa lemak. The first recipe was for Penang laksa in the nonya cooking tradition. Put prawns and water in saucepan, bring to boil, simmer two minutes and strain. Keep stock aside. Peel prawns. Keep aside. Scald laksa noodles or beehoon in boiling water for three minutes and set aside. Prepare gravy. Pound or grind first seven ingredients finely, adding about 1.5 tablespoon of oil during grinding if using a blender or food processor. Mix in coriander. Heat remaining oil in a clay pot or large saucepan and gently from the ground ingredients, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes. Add pounded dried prawns and fry a further two minutes. Pour in thin coconut milk and reserved prawn stock and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. When simmering, add fish balls and simmer for five minutes. Add thick coconut milk, salt and simmer until gravy thickens. To serve, put noodles in 6 bowls. Put some beansprouts on top, then pour over the gravy. Garnish with the prawns, chopped herbs and cucumber. Serve with extra pounded fresh red chillies if liked. Comments: The coconut milk makes this different from the nonya Penang laksa. Fish balls are more common in this kind of laksa than fish, but fish balls should be made at home. Most commercial fish balls are just white, rubbery balls with a faint fish taste. Laksa is fast food; it is not usually served as part of a larger meal and seems to best bought from little hawker stalls along the "5-foot way" in Malaysia and Indonesia. In Singapore, of course, you have to go to a nice, super clean food market. A year ago, excellent laksa lemak was available at Azizas on Emerald Hill in Singapore. The original recipe uses monosodium glutamate. I have not tried this recipe. In Asia, laksa is too cheap to try and make at home and in the U. S., we just cant get it to match the "real" kind. Posted to FOODWINE Digest 18 Jan 97 by Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU> on Sun, 19 Jan 1997.