The Machine of Making The Shrimp Paste

RECIPE #2 LAKSA D'LACAN

Laksa D'lacan.

Laksa Recipe

Ingredients:

Stock

3 tablespoons oil
1/2 pack (120g) Malaysian instant curry paste
2 cups chicken stock (1 can)
2 cups water
2 stalks lemongrass (white part only, pounded)
5 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
10 tofu puffs, cut into pieces
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients

Yellow noodles

Vermicelli

Bean sprouts

10 shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked

3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Fish cakes, cut into pieces

D'Lacan

Method:

1. In a stockpot, add the oil and sauté the instant curry paste until aromatic.
2. Add the chicken broth, water, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, tofu puffs and bring the stock to boil.
3. Lower the heat to simmer. Add the coconut milk and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock on simmer.
4. Rinse the yellow noodles, drained and set aside. Soak the dry vermicelli with some warm water until soft, drained and set aside.
5. To assemble a bowl of laksa for serving, bring to boil some yellow noodles, vermicelli, and a handful of bean sprouts. Drain the noodles and transfer to a serving bowl.
6. Top the noodles with 2-3 shrimp, a few pieces of fish cake, and 1-2 egg quarters.
7. Using a ladle, pour the laksa broth and a few pieces of tofu puffs on top of the noodles.
8. Serve immediately.

RECIPE #1 KANGKUNG BELACAN

KANGKUNG BELACAN
  
INGREDIENTS :

1lb Kangkung [also called Water Spinach or Water Convolvulus], washed well in water, drained and cut into 2-3 inch lengths
3 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
1½ tsp sugar
salt
*2 tbsp dried shrimp
*3 tbsp or to taste, chili paste
*6 shallots, peeled
*4 cloves garlic, peeled
*2 tsp of D'LACAN
      [Items  in * to be ground or blended]

Cook's Note : Kangkung [also spelt Kangkong] is Water Convolvulus, or more commonly called Water Spinach or Hollow Spinach. In China, it is known as Ong Choy, India as Kalmua, and Thailand as Pak Boong.

        To Prepare :

Soak dried prawns in hot boiling water till softened, drain, reserve some of the liquid
Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind the softened dried prawns, shallots, garlic, belacan, chili paste into a chunky paste
Heat wok on high, add 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil, stir-fry the paste for 1-2 mins, reduce heat cook until quite toasted and turns a shade darker - careful not to burn!
Add the kangkung, sugar, and salt if necessary [*Note: belacan is salty]
Stir-fry on high heat, about 2-3 mins
Dish onto a serving dish while it is still quite crisp and serve hot immediately

Process of making SHRIMP PASTE

Large quantity of shrimp. Taken by fisherman at Tanjung Dawai. This is the process of drying the small shrimp.

Mixing the shrimp and salt

After that, all the shrimp will be mixed with salt and and will be put inside the large wooden tumblr or in the ‘guni’. After putting the shrimp inside the tumblr, it will be fused into semi solid dough.

Crushed Shrimp

After the process of mixing the shrimp and salt, the dough will be passed in a machine that squeezing the mixture and passed out as picture upside.. This process also increase the surface area of the paste from open-air dehydration.

Drying the Belacan Dough Part 1

The mixture will be left outside for drying up for couple of hours. It is depend on the weather. Sometimes takes time for a week.

Drying The Belacan Dough Part 2

Lastly, after the dough has dried, we will store it into containers. It is because the mixture will be absorb moisture to return to a dough stage. In a dough stage, the finished goods are then shaped into cakes and divided into "rectangular" cubes of 0.5 kilogram or 1 kilogram per piece for final distribution and sales.

Methods To Use Our Belacan

METHODS TO USE OUR BELACAN.

Method 1 - Roasting in an oven

Cut belacan into thin slices. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the belacan slices slightly apart on a roasting pan. Roast for about 4-7 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Let it cool before use. Note that roasting belacan this way will make your kitchen smoky and smell strongly for some time. Leaving the windows and doors open will help to clear the odors.

Leave the oven door open after you have finished roasting the belacan and clean the oven with a good detergent to clear away any lingering odor.

Method 2 - Frying pan or Wok (You may use a normal frying pan or a non-stick variety)

Without using any oil, fry the thin slices of belacan until they are brown and the pungent smell of the belacan is released. Check to see if they have been well cooked by taking a slice and breaking it in two. It should break like a crisp biscuit and the inside should be brown and dry and not soft.

Method 3 - A Short Cut – A behind the scenes restaurant tip

If you are in a hurry, you may fry the belacan in some oil using a wok or frying pan on low heat. Ensure that there is sufficient oil so that the belacan does not burn. It may break up into small pieces as you fry it, and that is alright. Just be sure to cook it until well done and golden brown.

Introduction

Belacan or in English, Shrimp Paste, is a common ingredient that have beem used in Asian Cuisine. For example, laksa, ‘kuah rojak’, ‘sambal belacan’, ‘tomyam’, spaghetti and etc. It is made from fermented ground shrimp mixed with salt. It is an essential ingredient in many curries and sauces. Shrimp paste can be found in most meals in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. It is often an ingredient in dip for fish or vegetables.

Shrimp pastes in appearance from pale liquid sauces to solid chocolate-colored blocks. While all shrimp paste has a pungent aroma, that of higher grades is generally milder. Markets near villages producing shrimp paste are the best places to obtain the highest quality product. Shrimp paste is diffrent between different Asian cultures and can vary in smell, texture and saltiness.

Assalamualaikum.

Our company name is D’Lacan. We choose this name because we want to make it commercial and international. D here means The in French, and we take Lacan from the word ‘BELACAN’.

This company is fully bumiputra and consist of 5 brilliant student from UiTM Kedah. Since one of our group member’s family is currently staying at oversea. It is very difficult for them to find belacan to cook Asia food especially malay food. So, we have decided to sell it internationally. The main idea is from Solihin because he find that the belacan is hard find. So, we decided to open this company.

At first, we started this business from Kedah, and then it expand a little bit around Peninsula Malaysia. From there we gathered ideas, capital to expand this business. We have full equipment that needed to make belacan. For example, machine, shrimp, salt. We also have our own supplier which is Pak Awang Enterprise. This company provide to us the belacan. We choose Pak Awang Enterprise because near villages that produce belacan are the best places to obtain the highest quality product.