How to cook Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa

Curry laksa (in many places referred to simply as “laksa”) is a coconut-based curry soup.

The main ingredients for most versions of curry laksa include tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimp and cockles. Some vendors may sell chicken laksa which uses chicken instead of shrimp. Cockles are usually very commonly used in laksa and most vendors would add them into laksa unless customers request not to have cockles for hygiene reasons.

Laksa is commonly served with a spoonful of sambal chilli paste and is traditionally garnished with Vietnamese coriander, or laksa leaf, which is known in Malay as daun kesum.

Recipe for Curry Laksa

Ingredients (serves 5):

  • 1 kg cooked laksa noodles – drained
  • 200 g cooked skinless chicken breast – shredded
  • 2 pieces fish cake – sliced
  • 300 g beansprouts – boiled
  • 4 pieces taupok – sliced
  • 1 cucumber – peeled and shredded
  • Daun kesum – washed and finely shredded
  • 1 Litre low fat milk
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 dsp unsaturated oil

A) Grind into paste:

  • 30 dried chillies
  • 10 small onions
  • 12 buah keras
  • 2 stalks daun kesum

(B) Grind coarsely:

  • 1 cup dried prawns – soaked
  • 1/2 dsp belachan (shrimp paste) – roasted

Method:

  1. Heat oil and fry ingredients (A) until fragrant. Add ingredients (B) and fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
  2. Add water and taupok and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  3. Stir in milk and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes.
  4. Pour gravy over laksa noodles and serve with beansprouts, shredded chicken and fish cake.
  5. Add daun kesum and cucumber as desired.

Useful tips:

  1. Soak dried prawns for at least 15 minutes and rinse to remove some of the salt.
  2. To prevent milk and yoghurt from curdling, bring to boil over low heat.
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  1. John Barrow

    I assume you need coconut milk, rather than cow’s milk, otherwise there is no coconut ???

    Reply
  2. Anonymous

    actually the best laksa I’ve ever had does not have coconut milk just skimmed milk e.g. Asian Gourmet at the Adelaide Markets I’ve been looking for the recipe for ages and will give it a try

    Reply