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Curry Laksa (Malacca Nyonya Laksa) Recipe

Noodles in a a creamy, not too spicy broth.

Serious Eats / Carey Jones

Why It Works

• Homemade spice paste (which can be made ahead) acts as the concentrated and flavorful base of an easy-to-make broth.
• Diners can choose their own adventures when it comes to heat by adding spoonfuls of spicy homemade sambal to their bowls.
• Quail eggs can be swapped out for regular hard-boiled eggs while other toppings like prawns, fish cake slices, and daun kesum (Vietnamese mint) add further depth, texture, and freshness.

The noodle soup laksa is one of Malaysia's iconic dishes —but it takes many names and even more forms. Today, we're talking curry laksa: coconut milk and prawns all the way.  Debbie Teoh  (food writer, caterer, and cooking instructor) taught us how to make Nyonya-style curry laksa in her family's kitchen in Melaka.

A little laksa primer? If we're going with broad strokes, there are two basic laksa genres: asam laksa and curry laksa. Asam means "tamarind," and asam laksa is a tart, sour fish soup made from that fruit as well as shrimp paste and various aromatics, producing a thin broth. It's generally served with rice noodles, large chunks of white fish cooked in the broth, and shredded cucumbers, pineapple, and torched ginger flower, a bright pink and somewhat bitter garnish. (Similar versions, with slight regional differences, go by Penang laksa and Ipoh laksa.)

Curry laksa (also goes by curry mee, laksa lemak, Nyonya laksa) is a much richer rendition with a coconut milk-based broth that's poured over noodles and garnished with tofu puffs, shrimp, and egg. If you hear someone describe a dish as just "laksa," this is usually (but not always) what they're talking about. Like many Malaysian dishes, it starts with a blended spice paste of turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, and shrimp paste, and cooks down that blend to concentrate flavors; shrimp or chicken broth turns that thick paste to a broth, and the coconut milk is added toward the end.

Of course, it's not always that simple. In Penang, in the north of the country, you'll find more asam laksa, and it's likely to be a little more tart and spicy, thanks to their proximity to Thailand and affinity for those flavors; there, too, curry laksa is called curry mee, and is often topped with congealed pork blood. (I loved it, but some of my traveling companions couldn't quite stomach anything bloody at nine in the morning.) In Johor, laksa uses coconut milk but also the toasted coconut kerisik, while using fish as well. In other parts of the country, curry laksa incorporates fish into the broth, or eel might be used as a garnish; in Singapore, Borneo, and Indonesia, you'll find even more wildly different forms.

August 2011

Carey Jones's trip was arranged by Malaysia Kitchen for the World, an arm of  MATRADE , the country's trade promotion agency.

Recipe Details

Ingredients

For the Sambal:

10 fresh red chiles (100g)

10 stalks dried chile (20g), soaked

2 teaspoons  belacan ( shrimp paste )

6 tablespoons cooking  oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the Spice Paste:

10 shallots , peeled and sliced

3 - inch segment old turmeric (30g), skinned

2 - inch segment galangal (60g)

8 stalks lemongrass  (100g), sliced

20 stalks dried chiles , soaked until softened

10 candlenuts  ( 60 g )

For the Laksa Broth:

1/2 cup cooking  oil

1 quart prawn or chicken stock

2 cups coconut milk

20 pieces tofu puffs , scalded in hot water briefly to remove oil (see notes)

2 teaspoons salt , or to taste

To Assemble:

Cooked egg noodles

Cooked vermicelli

200 g bean sprouts , blanched

1 cucumber , julienned

500 g prawns , boiled and peeled

2 -3 large fishcakes , boiled and sliced

20 quail eggs , hard-boiled (see notes)

1 bunch polygonum leaves, or daun kesum, finely sliced (see notes)

To Prepare the Sambal: Using an electric blender, finely grind fresh red chiles, dried chiles, and shrimp paste. Heat oil. Sauté chile spice paste until fragrant, stirring continuously. Add salt and sugar to taste. Set aside to serve with finished laksa.

To Prepare the Spice Paste: Using an electric blender, pulse shallots, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, dried chiles, candlenuts, and shrimp paste until they form a smooth paste, adding a bit of water if necessary.

To Prepare the Laksa Broth: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1/2 cup cooking oil. Sauté spice paste until fragrant. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk, tofu puffs, and salt. Bring to a quick boil, stirring continuously. Turn off heat once broth comes to a boil.

To Assemble: Blanch noodles in boiling water and drain. Place some noodles into a bowl, garnish with bean sprouts and cucumber. Ladle hot laksa broth and tofu puffs over noodles. Top with prawns, fish cake slices, quail eggs, and daun kesum (see notes) if using. Serve with sambal.

Belacan (shrimp paste) and candlenuts will be available at some Southeast Asian grocery stores; fresh turmeric may additionally be available at some Indian and Chinese markets.

Tofu puffs, lightly spongy fried tofu balls that readily soak up the broth of this laksa, should also be available in the refrigerated section of many Chinese grocery stores.

Hard-boiled eggs can be substituted for the hard-boiled quail eggs; you may want to slice them into smaller pieces.

Polygonum is also known as laksa leaf, Vietnamese mint, or daun kesom; it's an aromatic herb used often in Vietnamese cuisine but also characteristic of laksa. It is available in some Southeastern Asian grocery stores but can be omitted.

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How to cook the perfect laksa – recipe

There are as many recipes for laksa as there are cooks who make this fragrant Asian soup, but we’ve run the rule over a few and come up with our own definitive take

T here’s a restaurant just off Oxford Street in London, called Laksamania , whose name sums up the correct response to this aromatic noodle soup, the national dish of both Malaysia and Singapore, found from Thailand to Indonesia, and deeply comforting whether you’re in Kuala Lumpur or Kings Langley. Yet, as MiMi Aye notes in her book Noodle! , “There seem to be as many variations … as there are stars in the sky”, thanks to the migration of the Peranakan people from China throughout the Malay archipelago .

By far the best known in this country, however, is probably laksa lemak, sometimes called curry or nyonya laksa, which I first fell in love with in a black and-white bungalow in Singapore on a day when the humidity topped 90%. Rich with coconut milk and salty with shrimp, with a pinch of hot chilli on top, it’s as good on a hot summer’s afternoon as it is in the depths of winter, and not half as much work as it looks, I promise.

Like any curry, laksa is defined by the base paste that’s diluted to form the gravy. Dried chillies and salty, fermented shrimp paste feature in all the recipes I try, and fresh ginger (or galangal), garlic and onion or shallot are also very common. I find, like the dried shrimp that Sylvia Tan, the cook responsible for my first laksa , uses in her book Singapore Heritage Food , the dried chillies benefit from soaking first; it makes them easier to blend into the paste. Tan’s is also the only recipe to use candlenuts , so-named for their high oil content, which give her gravy a lovely, nutty richness. They’re hard to get hold of in this country, possibly because they’re mildly toxic when raw, but macadamias make a good substitute.

Where the recipes diverge, however, is in their use of dried spices. Malaysian chef Norman Musa uses sweeter aromatics such as star anise and cinnamon along with the coriander seeds and turmeric found in Tan’s version, as well as that from Mandy Yin , the Kuala-Lumpur-born chef at my favourite laksa joint, north London’s Sambal Shiok . In fact, Musa uses the most spices of all, also adding cumin, black peppercorns and cardamom to the paste – his laksa is delicious, more savoury and complex to my and my testers’ minds than some of the others, but doesn’t quite hit the classic, comfortingly creamy notes we like so much in Yin’s. For a less rich take, however, I’d highly recommend it.

Two potential shortcuts: Mandy Lee of the website Lady and Pups uses ready-mixed curry powder instead of the dry spices, which may save you shopping, if not a great deal of time, while Olive magazine has a quick recipe using ready-made laksa paste , whizzed up with extra garlic, ginger and chilli powder, which does save a considerable amount of the latter. We all find the one I use a bit bland, but this could be adjusted to taste.

Frying the paste is an important step if you’re not to end up with a raw-tasting gravy; Yin recommends half an hour of patient stirring until it’s really dark, but it dries out under my inexpert care – half that time seems to yield a pretty decent result.

Because this is a seafood dish, I don’t think you need to add chicken stock to the broth, unless you want it to be very meaty indeed – in which case, you could do as Lee does and poach a chicken leg in it, then serve the sliced meat on top. It’s simpler, and more appropriate here, to make a prawn stock by adding their shells to plain water, along with some lemongrass for freshness and Yin’s laksa leaves , all of which can be strained out before serving. Laksa leaves are hard to come by unless you have a south-east Asian grocers nearby (ask for hot or Vietnamese mint), so if you can’t find them, do as Yin suggests, and use mint and coriander instead.

The strained prawn stock can be diluted with coconut milk to make the gravy (I wouldn’t recommend the light version I try in the Olive recipe: it’s quite thin and bland. If you’re after health food, a fishy assam laksa is probably a better bet, and seasoned according to whim: Yin, Musa and Tan all add sugar as well as salt and pepper, but taste it and see what works for you. You can also add tamarind at this point, if you’d like to make it sourer as well as saltier and sweeter, but I prefer to serve it with fresh lime on the side, not least because it’s easier.

One excellent tip from Lee: strain the paste through a fine sieve before diluting it; not only is this the easiest way to remove the shells and stalks, but unless you have the most powerful food processor in the world, it gives a much silkier texture to the finished dish.

The noodles

I’m surprised that there is no one standard noodle used for laksa: egg noodles, rice sticks, vermicelli and glass noodles all feature in the recipes I try. All have their fans, but my favourites are the rice sticks and glass noodles, both of which provide a chewier counterpoint to the rich, coconutty broth than soft egg noodles or delicate vermicelli. But use whichever you prefer.

The toppings

Lee says the only two mandatory toppings are prawns, which are “important for flavouring the broth”, and tofu, “to suck it up”. You’ll need to get big prawns for this, unless you do better than me at finding smaller raw ones with their shells still on, and I’d shell them and blanch the meat separately, rather than simmering them whole for half an hour as some recipes do – it makes them very tough and woolly. That said, because I don’t think these big prawns have a great deal of flavour however they’re cooked, I like Lee’s idea of turning them into shrimp meatballs; that might sound a faff, but they take only a minute to make, and they’re exponentially more delicious. Tofu-wise, if you can find tofu puffs (and this shouldn’t be hard – they’re fairly standard in south-east Asian supermarkets), they’re the best choice here, because, as Lee says, they soak up the gravy like a delicious sponge.

Otherwise, you can add an almost infinite array of things to laksa: blanched vegetables such as beansprouts, runner beans or sugar snap peas supply a pleasing crunch, while testers particularly liked the cool contrast of Olive’s shredded cucumber. Extra protein, such as Tan’s cockles or Lee’s chicken and her spicy pork sauce, is also a possibility; a boiled egg, of course, would be the simplest option.

Curry laksa is such a rich dish that I like to serve fresh chilli, pounded with a little salt, as in Tan’s recipe, as well as fresh lime wedges and a handful of coriander or laksa leaves. Oh, and a napkin to tuck into your collar. Turmeric is a devil to wash out.

Perfect laksa

Soak 30 min Prep 25 min Cook 55 min Serves 4

8 large raw, shell-on prawns 4 tbsp neutral oil 1 litre water 2 lemongrass stalks , lightly crushed 50g laksa leaves (hot mint) , or a mix of coriander and mint, plus extra to serve 400ml coconut milk Sugar, salt and pepper , to taste 8 cubes deep-fried tofu (shop-bought is fine) ¼ cucumber, deseeded and finely shredded 200g wide flat dried rice noodles or vermicelli

For the paste 10 dried chillies , soaked 30g dried shrimp , soaked 75g ginger , peeled 6 garlic cloves , peeled 4 small Asian shallots (about 50g), peeled 30g shrimp paste 2 tbsp ground coriander 1 tbsp ground turmeric 5 macadamia nuts

For the prawn balls (optional) 100g pork mince 2 tbsp cornflour 1 tsp fish sauce ¼ tsp white pepper

To serve 4 red bird’s eye chillies , chopped 1 lime , cut into wedges

Soak the chillies and dried shrimp in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain. Put in a small food processor with all the other paste ingredients and whizz fairly smooth.

Shell the prawns and set the meat to one side. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the paste and prawn shells, and fry, stirring, until dark and aromatic – about 10-15 minutes. Beat in the water, then add the lemongrass and laksa leaves, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and leave the broth to simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, if you’re making the prawn balls, put the prawn meat in a food processor with all the remaining prawn ball ingredients and whizz to a chunky paste (otherwise, keep the prawns whole and add to the broth for the last minute of cooking). Form the prawn mixture into eight balls; wet your hands first, to make it easier to handle.

Pass the prawn stock through a fine sieve to remove the solids, squeezing out as much liquid as possible, then return the broth to the pan. Whisk in the coconut milk, return to a boil, then stir in the tofu puffs and prawn balls, and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then divide between four bowls.

Pound the fresh bird’s eye chillies with a little coarse salt to make a coarse paste. Check the broth for seasoning, then pour it all over the noodles. Top with the tofu and prawn balls (or whole prawns), shredded cucumber and a little fresh coriander.

Serve with the fresh chilli paste and lime wedges on the side.

Curry, nyonya or laksa lemak – whatever you call it, how do you like yours, and where makes the best? And what other laksas would you recommend to noodle soup novices?

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Malaysian Seafood Laksa Recipe – SBS Food Safari | MunchBrothers | MunchBrothers

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Dec 20 2008

Malaysian Seafood Laksa Recipe – SBS Food Safari

Published by Munchbrother at 2:43 pm under Malaysian

Duration : 0:3:11

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Tags: laksa , Malaysian , Seafood , soup

11 responses so far

11 Responses to “Malaysian Seafood Laksa Recipe – SBS Food Safari”

omg that looks to … omg that looks to DIE for yummmm!!!

I happen to use … I happen to use that exact Laksa paste, and yes, there is lemongrass, galangale, garlic, shallot all in it. But sure if you have those on hand slice up some fresh and include in your laksa.

she says “Ginger” … she says “Ginger” at :36.

well i wouldn say … well i wouldn say it an original laksa,more like crab mee curry-‘kari ketam’

but i guess that wat laksa serve in aus

can you give me the … can you give me the recipe? merci.

I made laksa … I made laksa yesterday by accident 😛 there was this recipe of “thai tofu soup” on the net: lemon grass, ginger, cathyme lime leaves, stock, coconut cream, fish sauce and of course tofu – strangely it turned out to be laksa ^^~ well taste similar from my local thai restaurant anyway. It was amazingly quick and easy to do 🙂

Sadly, it’s not … Sadly, it’s not quite original laksa Q__Q

The lemon grass/ … The lemon grass/ginger are in the Laksa paste that she puts into the soup.

Probably in the … Probably in the laksa paste.

where’s the lemon … where’s the lemon grass?

oh NOs,, where is … oh NOs,, where is the ginger/galngal!!

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Home » Asia » Southeast Asian Recipes » Malaysian Recipes » Sarawak Laksa (Malaysian Noodle Soup)

Sarawak Laksa (Malaysian Noodle Soup)

By: Author Michelle

Posted on Last updated: January 31, 2021

Sarawak Laksa is a comforting Malaysian noodle soup that is spicy, bright, warming, and full of flavour.

I remember my parents making laksa for special occasions (and they still do!) and before, they would get their laksa paste from a famed hawker in Malaysia. We’d have packages of the aromatic laksa paste stashed frozen in our deep freezer.

But of course, as time would pass, the stash would dwindle. And, without relatives coming overseas to bring us packages of the laksa paste, my Mother resorted to creating her own version, which is much more healthy and fragrant, as with everything made from scratch! (The packaged laksa paste contains a lot of palm oil and saturated fats, which isn’t heart healthy at all).

What Is Laksa?

Laksa is a spicy, curry or coconut-based noodle soup that originated from the Peranakans, who are of mixed Chinese-Malay heritage.

Chinese men would set out onto the spice trade route and settle in their new villages, marrying the local Malay women. The result was a blending together of Chinese and Malay heritage.

It is common to find traditional Chinese dishes that have been reformed using local spices and ingredients, thus creating a hybrid cuisine.

Types Of Laksa

There are many styles of laksa; it is most commonly differentiated into 3 categories: Curry, Asam, and Sarawak.

• Curry laksa is a coconut milk-based laksa.
• Asam laska does not contain coconut milk, and it uses tamarind paste, which gives it a more sour/acidic taste.
• Sarawak laska is a combination of the two, where coconut milk is used, as well as tamarind paste. (Sarawak is a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo.)

How To Prepare My Mom’s Sarawak Laksa Recipe

The foundation of laksa is the paste on which the soup is built. Laksa paste is where all that robust flavour is developed.

The key ingredients in laksa may sound intimidating, but they can be found at specialty Asian supermarkets.

My Mom’s version of Sarawak laksa contains:

• Thai chilies
• Fresh lemongrass
• Galangal, also known as blue ginger (which is similar to ginger — if you’re unable to find it, substitute with ginger)
• Tamarind pulp, which has a sweet and sour taste. (If you can’t find tamarind, try using brown sugar and lime juice instead to give an acidic and sweet tone to the laksa soup).

I also love the earthiness from cumin, so I’ve added that as well, lending a little more of a curry vibe.

This laksa paste is blended all together in a food processor and then cooked in a little oil over medium heat for close to 40 minutes. That’s where all that delicious flavour comes through.

It’s rounded off with coconut milk, chicken stock, and some palm sugar to balance the flavour, and thus becomes laksa soup.

Sarawak laksa is primarily composed of thin rice vermicelli noodles, shredded chicken, thin beaten egg omelette strips, boiled shrimp, tofu puffs, bean sprouts, thinly sliced cucumbers and finished off with a squeeze of fresh lime.

If available, finely chopped laksa leaf (or Vietnamese coriander, also known as  rau ram ) ties the dish together. If not, garnish with cilantro instead, if you wish.

Comforting on a cold rainy day, my Mom’s Sarawak laksa noodle soup is spicy, bright, warming, and full of flavour.

It’s a noodle soup like no other. In fact, it even topped Anthony Bourdain’s Top 10 dishes for his food market he had planned in New York City. And, if Anthony Bourdain calls the dish the “breakfast of gods,” you know it’s a dish that’s well-deserving.

Mom’s Sarawak Laksa

Ingredients, laksa paste.

• 5 small red thai chilies, stems removed
• 4 shallots or 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh galangal (blue ginger), chopped (or more fresh ginger)
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into large chunks
• 6 macadamia nuts (or a handful of cashew nuts)
• 2 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 3 Tbsp tamarind paste*
• ¾ C warm water
• 2 Tbsp canola oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 Tbsp coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar), packed
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp coarse sea salt

For The Laksa Soup

• 4 C chicken broth
• 1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk

Toppings For Laksa

• 1 package rice vermicelli noodles, cooked and drained
• 2 seasoned chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 12 large shrimp, boiled and sliced in half
• 4 eggs, scrambled and fried omelette-style, cut into thin strips
• 1 pkg tofu puffs, boiled and drained
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 1 pkg bean sprouts, washed and lightly cooked with hot boiled water
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• laksa leaves (ram rau), cut into thin strips (or fresh cilantro leaves, chopped)

Instructions

Make the laksa paste.

• In a food processor, combine all the red thai chili, shallots, ginger, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, macadamia nuts, coriander, cumin, tamarind paste, water, and canola oil. Pulse until a smooth paste is formed.
• Transfer the pureed paste into a large pot and cook over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring intermittently.
• Add in the sugar, curry powder, paprika, and salt, and stir for another 5 minutes.
• If not using the paste right away, let the laksa paste completely cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freezer for up to 6 months.

Make The Laksa Soup

• If ready to make the laksa soup, add in 4 C of chicken broth and 1 can coconut milk to the laksa paste. Stir and bring to a simmer. If the consistency of the soup is a little too thick, add a little more chicken broth or water. Keep the soup warm.

Assemble The Laksa

• Place the rice vermicelli noodles into a serving bowl. Top with shredded chicken, shrimp, egg, tofu puffs, cucumber, and bean sprouts.
• Add the hot soup over top of the noodles.
• Squeeze some lime juice over top and garnish with laksa leaves.
• Serve immediately.

If you liked this recipe, here are some similar dishes you may enjoy!

Michelle enjoys learning and discovering different foods from around the world and recreating them in her own kitchen. She is an avid matcha lover and believes that the best food is made from scratch. Michelle develops and photographs recipes at her blog SiftAndSimmer.com.

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Wednesday 2nd of November 2022

I am a Canadian tourist in Labuan, I tried Sarawak Laksa today at our hotel. It was delicious so I'll be having it again each day til we leave.

Sarah - Curious Cuisiniere

Monday 7th of November 2022

What a great find!

Thursday 25th of August 2022

I'm really sorry. This paste makes a super tasty, aromatic soup but it was not at all Sarawak laksa. I was sure to follow all the steps but it didn't turn out as expected.

I would encourage people to try the recipe anyways. I cannot stress enough that the resulting soup was delicious. But it didn't read Sarawak laksa to either me nor my husband.

Thursday 1st of September 2022

Hi SF. We're glad you liked the soup even if it didn't fit your idea of sarawak laska. Could you give us more of a description of what it should be like, in your opinion?

V from kuching

Saturday 19th of September 2020

Love laksa I have to get my paste shipped from Kuching to Canada and it cost a bundle. Will be trying out your recipe for the paste. Thanks to all the other suggestions and comments.

Sarah Ozimek

Sunday 20th of September 2020

Hope you enjoy it!

Tuesday 19th of May 2020

Hi there is no tofu puffs and cucumber in the garnish for Sarawak laksa, it’s not nyonya laksa(which has them)

Michelle Wong

Thursday 11th of June 2020

Thanks for clarifying.

Saturday 18th of April 2020

Hi Michelle, I'm a Sarawakian from Kuching as well. I tried making the laksa paste in the proportions mentioned, but the curry fragrant in the paste was a little overpowering. I noticed in your instructions that your curry powder is only mixed into the paste towards the end. I added mine in together with the coriander and cumin powder and blended everything.. could this be the reason why your curry powder is only added at the end? Thanks!

Each blend of curry powder will have a different intensity of flavour -- you can decrease the amount of curry powder if you find it overwhelming.

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Authentic Penang Asam Laksa

If there's one dish that I am crazy about, it must be  asam laksa.  This noodle has all combination of flavours: sour, spicy, sweet, salty, and umami. The thick broth made from local spices, tamarind, and fish flakes is divine.

My love for asam laksa is beyond normal. When I was a kid, my father used to cook it during the weekend and I would have them for two days. In Penang, I always visit Kimberly Road to have asam laksa (It used to be a Joo Hooi Cafe. The asam laksa vendor moved to a new cafe on the same road). In KL, I get my asam laksa fix at Jusco's foodcourt or Ancle Peoh at Klang.

I've always wanted to learn to make authentic Penang-style asam laksa properly and did on my last trip to Penang. Pearly Kee, a nyonya cook and author, showed me how. I was surprised to find that it is so much easier than what my Mom had taught me.

The below recipe is modified from Pearly's book 'A Nyonya Inheritance' and the instructions that she gave me at her house. Penang home-cooked asam laksa is thick and flavoured with a lot of hae ko (shrimp paste). My family prefer the usual hawker-style laksa which is more soupy. So I added a little more water and top up the spices so that it won't be diluted.

MAKING AUTHENTIC ASAM LAKSA EASIER

Firstly, asam laksa is not an easy dish to make. Because I want to be able to make it at home more often, I was tempted to simplify the recipe. Sometimes, my quest to make cooking easier goes overboard - canned food and bottled spices.

For this dish, I have half the mind to try to replace fresh turmeric with powder and use bottled seedless tamarind paste instead. I also thought torchginger flower is not necessary.

However, this time, I've decided against extreme simplification; I'll like to make asam laksa for an enjoyable dining experience (not merely eating to keep my stomach full). So I'm not omitting any ingredients and use only fresh ingredients.

How is it easier? I optimized the steps, planned the timing so it can be done in less than an hour, buy prepared ingredients (e.g peeled pineapple and toasted belacan powder), and use a blender ( I recommend using a three-in-one hand blender ).

Don't be overwhelmed with the long list of ingredients. All you need to do is:

• Peel the spices (Do it in a bowl of water. Its easier and the shallots is less likely to sting your eyes)
• Blend spices in a blender.
• Squeeze tamarind in water
• Boil the broth for about 25 minutes (Simply chuck everything in!)
• While broth is boiling, cook noodles and chop vegetable toppings

This is the most optimized way of making asam laksa that tastes like the real thing.

• Pot (for cooking stock)
• Wok + sieve (for cooking noodles)
• Chopping board + knives

RECIPE CARD

Easy penang asam laksa.

By: Sara Khong

Ingredients

• LAKSA PASTE
• 4 fresh red chili
• 10 dried chili
• 1 inch fresh turmeric
• 3 stalks lemongrass
• 2 slices (20 g) galangal
• 120 g large shallots
• 3 cloves garlic
• 15 g (2 tbsp) belacan powder
• 150 g fresh pineapple
• 60 g tamarind soaked in 6 cups of water, squeezed and strained
• 8 stalks (30 g) of laksa leaves (kesum)
• 1/2 torch ginger flower
• 5 sardine/ mackerel/ kembong
• 1 - 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 - 3 tbsp prawn paste (hae koe)
• NOODLES & VEGETABLES TOPPINGS
• 400 g laksa noodles, cook to softened
• 100 g pineapple slices, sliced and julienned
• 100 g cucumber, sliced and julienned
• 1 onion, sliced
• 8 stalk of mint
• 1/2 torch ginger flower, sliced finely
• Step 1 PREPARE TAMARIND WATER: Squeeze tamarind in 6 cups of water. Set aside.
• Step 2 PREPARE INGREDIENTS FOR LAKSA PASTE: Soak all laksa paste ingredients (except belacan and pineapple) in a large bowl of water. Remove skin of galangal, turmeric, and onions. Deseed chili.
• Step 3 BLEND LAKSA PASTE: Chop laksa ingredients, add a little water, and blend laksa paste in a blender.
• Step 4 BOIL STOCK: Add blended laksa paste, tamarind water, laksa leaves (tied into a knot), and torch ginger stalk. Mix well. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
• Step 5 COOK NOODLES & PREPARE TOPPINGS: While stock is boiling, cook noodles in boiling water. Remove with a sieve and drain. Set aside. Slice vegetables for asam laksa toppings. Place on a plate.
• Step 6 SEASON: When broth is ready, remove laksa leaves. Season with sugar, salt, and prawn paste.
• Step 7 COOK FISH: Add fish into boiling broth. Cover and let it cook for another 6 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove fish, debone, and put fish flakes back into the soup. Mix well.
• Step 8 SERVE. Pour soup over noodles. Top with vegetables (pineapple, cucumber, lettuce, onions, mint and torch ginger). Drizzle with diluted prawn paste, if you like.

SHORT RECIPE

Blend laksa paste (4 fresh red chili + 10 dried chili + 1 inch fresh turmeric + 3 stalks lemongrass + 2 slices galangal + 120 g shallots + 3 cloves garlic + 2 tbsp belacan powder + 150 g fresh pineapple). Boil then simmer laksa paste, tamarind water (60 g tamarind + 6 cups water), 8 stalks laksa leaves and 1/2 torch ginger flower for 20 minutes. Remove laksa leaves. Season with 1 tbsp sugar, salt, and 2 tbsp prawn paste. Add fish to cook for another 8 mins. Debone and place fish flakes. Serve with noodles and vegetables toppings.

COOKING TIPS

• Sieve tamarind water with your fingers  When I was making this asam laksa at Pearly's class, she got the tamarind straight from a century year old tree. Not having that luxury, I use tamarind paste from a packet. You need to soak it in water and squeeze to infuse it in the water. Squeeze it continuously for a few minutes. Then, using your fingers as sieve, pour into the pot. Don't sieve it - otherwise you'll get rid of the cream and you'll have to wash another thing.
• Buy organic cucumber  My family normally peel the cucumber skin if its not organic. However, if peeled, the cucumber will be a little harder to slice. I prefer not to peel them for convenience and appearance (the dark green ends looks really nice in contrast to the red soup)
• Buy big shallots and peel it in the water. The bigger the shallots, the less you need to peel, and the easier it is. You could also get big red onions. I peel the shallots in the water - it helps prevent tears!
• Peeled pineapple. I bought peeled pineapple from the supermarket. At Jusco, it's placed in a plastic container in the fruit section.
• Be generous with sugar.  I always try to use very little sugar in my cooking, however asam laksa is not one of those that you can be stingy with sugar. The more sour it is, the more you have to balance the tartness with sugar. The key to a good asam laksa broth is balancing the taste.

If that's too much work, check out Penang-style asam laksa restaurant in Kuala Lumpur in my Youtube video:

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Easy Curry Laksa

Laksa is traditionally one of those dishes that develops its flavours over time, which can rule it out during busy weeknights. But hold onto your hats, people: this super-fast, super-tasty version will be ready to eat in just 15 minutes! Enjoy a creamy, rich broth and all the trimmings, sooner than you think.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

2 tbsp curry powder

200g (7 oz) sliced chicken thigh fillets

400ml (13.5 fl oz) can coconut milk

4 cups chicken stock

400g (14 oz) peeled prawns (optional)

200g (7 oz) Asian fish balls (optional)

12 fried tofu puffs

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

800g (1.7 lb) cooked noodles, to serve

Bean shoots, boiled egg and coriander (cilantro) leaves, to serve

Heat the oil in a wok or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for half a minute or until fragrant. Stir through the curry powder. Then add the chicken and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Now add the prawns and fish balls (if using), along with the tofu puffs. Simmer for a another few minutes or until the prawns are cooked.

Stir through the fish sauce and sugar and season to taste with extra if needed. Ladle your laksa over the noodles and top with bean shoots, egg and coriander leaves.

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What our customers say

Delicious and easy.

this recipe is fantastic. i’m the baker in the family and my husband is the chef. he went to culinary school so when i m ade this for him and he loved it, i knew it was a success! thank you marion!

Amazing laksa soup

I needed a soup base for my hotpot and thought why not curry laksa soup. So 1 hr later I have it, my laksa soup for hotp ot. Naturally this is not as thick or curried as for laksa but this soup is just so aromatic and flavoursome. Thank you Marion. 😊

Make it - You won’t be disappointed

This recipe is extremely easy to make – this is a seriously good Laksa Recipe. It’s warm, spicy & super flavourful- just add in your proteins to pimp it up – I added both chicken & prawns. It made me feel like I knew how to marry together the ingredients used in Asian Cooking to produce a brilliant dish. I can 200% recommend this recipe.. thanks Marion

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Traditional Sarawak Laksa 传统砂拉越叻沙

Watch How To Make Traditional Sarawak Laksa (Recipe Video)

Traditional Sarawak laksa is a famous Sarawak noodle dish which looks like the normal curry laksa. However, the Sarawak’s version of this dish is slightly subtler compared to the normal curry laksa. It is made using a laksa paste consisting of sambal belacan, tamarind, lemongrass, herbs and spices with a little coconut milk. Hence, it has a fine balance of aromatic herbs and spices with a subtle hint of sourish and chili note and not overly rich and creamy.

A typical bowl of Traditional Sarawak Laksa usually consists of rice vermicelli, omelette strips, shredded chicken, beansprouts, prawns, fresh coriander and lime. I have included yellow noodles in this recipe just for variety though. Be sure to use a good brand store-bought laksa paste if you aren’t making your own to ensure a delectable potion of its reddish-brown broth, which can be so fulfilling and addictive. Enjoy!

Traditional Sarawak Laksa Recipe Ingredients List 砂拉越叻沙食谱材料表

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Ingredients  

• ▢ 300 grams rice vermicelli , pre soak till just soft
• ▢ 300 grams yellow noodles
• ▢ 300 grams sarawak laksa paste , store bought
• ▢ 300 grams beansprouts
• ▢ 300 grams prawns , shelled and deveined
• ▢ 200 grams chicken breast meat
• ▢ 2.5 litres chicken broth , or water
• ▢ 200 grams Thick coconut milk
• ▢ 2 eggs , lightly beaten to make omelette
• ▢ 6 calamansi , cut in halves
• ▢ 1 tbsp salt , to taste
• ▢ 1 tsp sugar , to taste
• ▢ 1 bunch mint leaves , for garnish
• ▢ 1 bunch coriander leaves , for garnish
• ▢ 3 red chillies , for garnish

Instructions  

Recipe Video

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 燕麦葡萄干饼干

Steamed egg pudding 香滑炖蛋布丁, you may also like these recipes, braised luffa with egg beancurd 焖胜瓜豆腐, teochew peach shaped dumpling with yam bean filling..., imitation shark fin soup 碗仔翅 / 鱼翅汤, traditional teochew peach shaped dumpling (glutinous rice png..., claypot tofu with mushrooms and glass noodles 焖蘑菇冬粉豆腐煲, homemade soy milk 豆浆.

Angie Liew (known as Huang) has a strong love for cooking from a young age. Being a self taught chef, she focuses on improving cooking recipes, simplifying and documenting cooking methods so that her great home cooked dishes can be served and shared among family and friends.

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Glad you like it. Thanks for the feedback. Enjoy!

Looks yummy. May I know what’s the paste that you are using?

The paste was given by a friend from Sarawak so the paste is actually prepacked.

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