Ingredients

Method

LAKSA BROTH

Start first with the Laksa paste, blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender into a fine paste. Heat a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the oil and sauté the spice-paste mix for two minutes, until fragrant. In a frying pan, dry-toast the spice-mix ingredients on a medium heat for 30 seconds, then transfer to a spice grinder and grind until fine. In a bowl, mix together thoroughly the blended laksa paste, ground spice mix and ground turmeric. Add 750ml of water to the fried spice paste and allow to simmer. To finish the broth, add the coconut milk and sugar and let it simmer for a couple of minutes and season with salt at the end.

TORTELLINI FILLING

Peel the taro, cut in small cubes and cook in boiling water until fork-tender. Strain and transfer to a bowl and press with a spatula until a mashed consistency. Add to the taro mix the strained hard crumbled tofu, chopped red chillis, soy sauce, smoked salt and pepper.

PASTA DOUGH

Mix the eggs, flour, oil and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with your hands until a shaggy dough forms. Knead with the dough hook until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Cut and roll in the pasta machine, starting from the highest number (maximum thickness) working all the way down until the dough reaches about 2mm thick.

MAKING THE TORTELLINI

Cut the dough into squares of about 8x8cm, place a small dollop of the filling in the middle. Fold into a triangular shape, making sure to press evenly and avoid any air bubbles inside. Press both tips of the base of the triangle all the way down and sticking both opposite tips together so you have the tortellini shape. Keep on a tray with some flour to avoid them from sticking.

To finish the recipe, cook the tortellini in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Warm up the laksa broth. In a small bowl prepare the Asian herb salad with bean sprouts, pickled mint, Thai basil and coriander leaves, some sliced spring onions, red chillis and finely chopped kaffir lime leaf. Place the tortellini on the plate, add a handful of the Asian mix salad and pour the laksa broth on top.

Diana Chan