Vegetarian Hae Koh (Shrimp Paste)

I have every intention to make some vegetarian assam laksa one of these days, but I realized that I had forgotten to buy some vegetarian hae koh (shrimp paste) when I went home to Malaysia for Chinese New Year not too long ago. I was ecstatic to find the recipe for homemade vegetarian shrimp paste on the Internet tonight, and the goal of making assam laksa is can almost be materialized. I just have to find assam keping around here or in Toronto. Below is the recipe from Amy Beh of Kuali.com.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Marmite vegetarian yeast extract
• 1 1/2 castor sugar
• 4 tbsp maltose (mak nga tong) – found this is Vietnamese store
• 1 tbsp thick soy sauce — I brought some from home since I cannot find thick soy sauce here that are not Indonesian
• 2 tsp vegetarian belacan powder
• 120ml water
• Thickening: Combine 1 tbsp corn flour + 2 tbsp water

Method

Combine all ingredients in a non-stick saucepan and cook over low heat until it comes to a simmering boil for 1-2 minutes. Stir in thickening to mix.

Source: http://kuali.com/recipes/viewrecipe.asp?r=3342