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Laksa - Spicy street food noodle dish popular in Malaysia and Singapore. This homemade curry laksa recipe is so easy and delicious!
Laksa is a popular street food in Malaysia and Singapore; it’s a noodle dish that is quickly gaining popularity globally because of its scrumptious taste.
To most people outside of Malaysia and Singapore, laksa generally means curry laksa, in a curry and coconut milk soup base.
The truth is, there are many different types of laksa but the two dominant ones are curry laksa (as in this recipe) and asam laksa.
Today I am sharing my “friendly” laksa recipe with you.
I have adapted the recipe so the taste appeals more to the western palate.
This is the version you will find in most high-end hotels in Southeast Asia, with the ingredients modified but the flavor is still iconic and authentic.
I added evaporated milk to the laksa stock, so it’s half coconut milk and half evaporated milk.
The end result is a creamier version of laksa without the dominant flavor of coconut milk.
To get the curry paste in this recipe, you can buy it online at Amazon.
Once you have the curry paste, you can make this recipe easily.
The flavors are bold and addictive, but I assure you that this is a noodle dish you will want to eat every day!
Ingredients
- Instant curry paste
- Chicken broth
- Lemongrass
- Tofu puffs
- Evaporated milk
- Coconut milk
- Yellow noodles
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1. In a stockpot, add the oil and saute the instant curry paste until aromatic. Add the chicken broth, water, and lemongrass, and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Add the tofu puffs, coconut milk, and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock simmering.
Step 2. Rinse the yellow noodles and bean sprouts separately, then drain and set aside. To assemble a bowl of laksa for serving, bring some yellow noodles and a handful of bean sprouts to a boil. Drain the noodles and bean sprouts, and transfer them to a serving bowl.
Step 3. Top the noodles with 2-3 shrimp, a few pieces of fish cake, and some eggs. Using a ladle, pour the soup and add a few pieces of tofu puffs on top of the noodles. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 280 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Laksa Recipe
Ingredients
Soup:
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/2 pack Malaysian instant curry paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, pounded
- 10 tofu puffs, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- salt , to taste
Other Ingredients:
- yellow noodles
- bean sprouts
- 10 shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, cut into halves
- fish cakes, cut into pieces
Instructions
- In a stockpot, add the oil and saute the instant curry paste until aromatic. Add the chicken broth, water, and lemongrass, and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Add the tofu puffs, coconut milk, and evaporated milk. Add salt to taste. Keep the stock simmering.
- Rinse the yellow noodles and bean sprouts separately, then drain and set aside. To assemble a bowl of laksa for serving, bring some yellow noodles and a handful of bean sprouts to a boil. Drain the noodles and bean sprouts, and transfer them to a serving bowl.
- Top the noodles with 2-3 shrimp, a few pieces of fish cake, and some eggs. Using a ladle, pour the soup and add a few pieces of tofu puffs on top of the noodles. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- To get the curry paste in this recipe, you can buy it online at Amazon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for sharing this! I am glad to found this post via a forum member recommendation. I really love eat laksa. :)
Bee, I love your recipes and your wonderful photos!
What are “tofu puffs”? Never heard of them before Can I substitute fried tofu?
Yes you can try fried tofu. Tofu puffs are fried tofu sort of but inside is hollow and spongy. Just google and see.
Seems delicious! I liked the way you’ve adapted it to the western palate, can’t wait to try it!
Yes I have a super authentic recipe but this is western palate friendly. :)
Hey Bee, looking forward to making this, but wondering whether you can help me out with “yellow noodles”. What exactly is this type of noodle?
Yellow noodles are what we Asian eat, they are only available at Asian stores. You can use other noodles, for example: ramen noodles, vermicelli, or dry lo mein.
Are you referring to Hokkien noodles when you say say yellow noodles? Trying to determine what to look for at my local Asian market, as they carry gazillions of different types.
Yes.
I remember 1st time i eat laska is in small restaurant in Malaysia and yes, it is great! Can’t wait to cook it in my kitchen! And can’t wait to try the way you use 2 kind of milk in this recipe.
Yes, it’s really great, I am sure you will love this.
A proper recipe should provide the instruction for making your own Laksa paste. This pre-bought quick and dirty recipe’s are fine if you want it quick and dirty, but it is nowhere near the real thing.
Take the extra time and make a proper laksa paste yourself. The toasting of the spices, crushing of them with lemon grass, garlic, shallots etc will excite your senses and make the meal so much more worth the time.
By the way, the picture looks a bit bland to me. Laksa normally is served with a number of fresh vegetables, not as shown.
Larry – I have a made-from-scratch Penang curry mee here: https://rasamalaysia.com/penang-curry-mee-recipe/. If you read this article, I had stated that this is a “friendly” laksa recipe as I had modified the ingredients used to make it more accessible to the western people. No laksa is NOT served with fresh vegetables unless it’s Asam laksa. You may use green beans, like in the KL versions, but I am from Penang and our curry mee (curry laksa) has no vegetables other than bean sprouts.
Love the picture of the laksa….looks delicious!
hi, thanks for the great tips to making Laksa !
I have a question to making it in process.
I’m going to using frozen shrimps.
by your recipes, Shrimps are topped over the noodle at end of stage.
how do you recommend me to do with frozen shrimps ? should I boil it at very last in the soup or should I fried a little and top it over ?
look forward to hearing it soon !
Frozen shrimp or not, it works the same way. You just thaw and boil.
I loooove laksa. Since I tastes it in Kuching, I’m so in love with tis dish. Thank you for this recipe :)
Hello bee, is there any substitute for the curry paste? It’s not available here in Pakistan