KuchingStyle laksa

Ingredients

16- 20 jumbo shrimps, deveined, tails intact, shells reserved for stock 1.8 L chicken bone broth 1 large boneless chicken breast ¾ cup Sarawak Laksa paste 2 large eggs 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari 1 tsp vegetable oil 28 gm rice vermicelli 1 cup coconut milk 2 cups mung bean sprouts Fresh cilantro, to garnish Lime wedges, to garnish Sambal belcan paste, to taste

Method

Cover the shrimp shells in water, and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 20 minutes. In a heavy bottom pot, bring the bone broth to a boil, then add in the chicken breast. Reduce to a simmer, and let it cook for 12 minutes. Turn off heat, cover pot, and let chicken sit for 12- 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the stock, and when cool, shred and set aside. Stir the laksa paste into the stock. Using a strainer to hold back the shrimp shells, add the shrimp stock into the chicken stock and laksa paste mixture. Cover and let the stock simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. While the stock simmers, whisk the eggs together with soy sauce in a bowl. On medium heat, heat oil in a thick- based pan and pour the egg mixture on top. Let it cook for two minutes, then flip over with a spatula and turn off heat. Once the soy sauce egg has cooked, let it cool, cut into strips and set aside. Place rice vermicelli in a bowl, and pour hot water on top. Let it sit for 5 minutes; agitate them a bit to keep from sticking, then drain water and toss the vermicelli in a few drops of oil, if they seem too sticky. Set aside. Strain the stock mixture through a sieve, return to a high flame, and add in shrimps. After 30 seconds, remove shrimp and set aside. Add coconut milk into the stock mixture, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and prepare to serve. Divide the bean sprouts, chicken, shrimps and vermicelli among four bowls. Pour hot laksa broth on top. Serve with cilantro, lime wedges, chili peppers and sambal belcan.

November 15, 1991 ( age 25), California, US

DID YOU KNOW? Shailene was considered for the role of Katniss in the film adaption of the book, The Hunger Games.

“Jane is told that she’s too nice in a town where the moms aren’t always that way,” Woodley said. “Everything about her is different. She doesn’t dress like the other moms. She has a job, unlike most of them. She doesn’t fit.”

Or, as another mom describes her: “She’s like a dirty old Prius parked outside Barneys.”

“I can’t t ell you much more,” Woodley added, “because it’s filled with twists and turns.”

The miniseries, produced by Kidman and Witherspoon, among others, was written by David E. Kelley and directed by Jean- Marc Vallee, best known for Dallas Buyers Club ( 2013) and Wild ( 2014).

It was Dern, a friend, who first approached Woodley about t he miniseries. Scheduling issues stood in her way, but Dern was insistent.

“Laura said, ‘ You better do this project,'” Woodley recalled with a laugh. “It was a lot of fun because JeanMarc Vallee, who did Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, directed. I felt like we were making one long movie, but with so much character development that you can’t do in many films.

Having worked with the likes of Clooney and on the Divergent series, Janet Mcteer and Naomi Watts kept Wood l e y f r o m b e i n g u n d u l y i ntimidated to find herself acting alongside the likes of Dern, Kidman and Witherspoon.

“They’re amazing women,” she said. “I keep hearing, ‘ What was it like to go up against them?’ The key thing here is that we worked together and not against each other.

The young actress hopes to split her time between indie films, interesting projects like this one and big- budget fare like Divergent ( 2014).

“I want to explore emotions,” she said. “On some movies, sometimes, you don’t get to explore the depths of the character’s relationships because there is so much story that has to take place. On the smaller, indie films, I don’t learn as much about action or the technological side of filmmaking, which I also find fascinating.

“Both types of projects are rewarding in different ways.”

A native of Simi Valley, California, Woodley is the daughter of a middles chool counsellor and a s chool principal. Photogenic from infancy, she began modelling at 4, and acting roles followed. She made her smallscreen debut in the television movie Replacing Dad ( 1999), then did a twoyear stint on The District ( 2001- 2003), a year on The O. C. ( 2003- 2004) and then Crossing Jordan ( 2001- 2004).

Woodleywasstarringasamyjuergens on the popular series The Secret Life of She’s been busy: 1 Shailene got international fame when she played Tris in the Divergent series 2 young Shailene in Felicity: An American Girl 3 As hazel in the highly- acclaimed The Fault in Our Stars 4 Playing George Clooney's troubled daughter in The Descendents 5 Opposite Gordon- Levitt in Snowden In the teen drama White Bird in a Blizzard