Curry laksa is easily one of my favorite noodle soup flavors. It is creamy, spicy, umami and super simple to make at home. This dish is so popular that every state in Malaysia has a different laksa recipe. The soup has a curry base and the creaminess comes from coconut milk. The key to making this process much faster is buying store bought red curry or laksa paste.
What type of curry paste for curry laksa?
For this recipe, I used red curry paste which is a mixture of dried red chilies, garlic, lemongrass, shallots, salt, and a combination of spices. All these ingredients get grinded together to create a paste. You can make this yourself at home, but that will take much longer. Red curry paste can be very commonly found in most Asian grocery stores. This is the brand I used:
What type of curry powder do I use?
So I actually found this curry powder at a takeout restaurant. It is called madras curry powder and I use it whenever I make curry. If you can’t find this, any other curry powder will work as well.
Proteins for curry laksa
The beauty behind this recipe is that you can pretty much add any type of protein you want to it. I decided to use only pre cooked protein in fish cake, fish balls, and tofu puffs. This way I only need to reheat them in the broth. A couple really popular options include shrimp and chicken. I would recommend searing chicken thighs and then cutting them up before adding to the broth to finish cooking. With shrimp, I would just add it directly to the broth for 2-3 minutes before serving so that they do not overcook.
Fish cake
As you can guess, fish cakes are made from fish paste and usually come precooked in a package. The way I prepare mine is by cutting them into thin strips.
Fish balls
These are also made from fish paste, however, there are two different types. As you can see from the picture below, there is a white one and a brown one. The brown one has been fried which changes the outer texture slightly. There are no extra preparations needed before adding to broth.
Tofu puffs
Out of all the proteins, tofu puffs are definitely my favorite because they absorb so much broth. Tofu puffs are basically pieces of tofu that have been deep fried and then refrigerated. By cutting them in half, you reveal the soft meat of the tofu and this absorbs all that laksa broth like a sponge.
Coconut milk for curry laksa?
Yes, coconut milk is one of the most important ingredients in the curry laksa broth. It is the key to the creamy and fragrant texture of the broth. Here is the brand I used:
What type of noodles to use?
There are many options to choose from when deciding on what noodles to use. The correct answer is really whatever noodles you like the most. However, traditionally laksa is served with egg or round rice noodles. I personally love a fresh ramen noodle with my laksa which is what I used in my video.
Aromatics
While the curry paste already has shallots and garlic in it, I like to add some more because it makes it even more flavorful. No need to get too fancy with the cuts, I just roughly slice.
Curry Laksa (30 minutes)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 large shallot
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2½ tbsp red curry paste
- 1½ tbsp curry powder
- 1 can coconut milk 400ml
- 3½ cups chicken stock
- 100 fish cake
- 10 fish balls
- 10 tofu puffs
- 1 handful bean sprouts
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 500 g noodles
- coriander
- lime wedge
Instructions
- Slice shallots and garlic in advance.
- In a pot over medium heat, add oil, shallots, garlic, curry paste, and curry powder. Stir for 1 minute.1 tbsp oil, 1 large shallot, 4 cloves garlic, 2½ tbsp red curry paste, 1½ tbsp curry powder
- Add can of coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce, and sugar. Let it come up to a simmer.1 can coconut milk, 3½ cups chicken stock, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar
- While you wait for the broth to come up to a simmer, prepare your proteins by cutting fish cake into strips and tofu puffs in half. There is no preparation needed for the fish balls. Add them all into the pot along with bean sprouts.100 fish cake, 10 fish balls, 10 tofu puffs, 1 handful bean sprouts
- Cover and keep over med heat for 10 minutes or until fish balls cooked through.
- While the broth is simmering, begin to cook your noodles in hot water according to package instructions.500 g noodles
- Assemble once proteins are cooked through and garnish with coriander and a lime wedge.coriander, lime wedge
Notes
- If after the 10 minutes you find the broth is too dilute, just simmer uncovered for 5 minutes and if you find it to be too thick and rich, add more chicken stock.
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