Curry Laksa, a tasty and spicy Malaysian coconut based curried noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, shrimps, fried tofu, and bean sprouts.
The origins of Curry Laksa is lost in the midst of history. It is probably a fusion of Chinese noodles and Southeast Asian curries and many would agree this concoction is a “marrirage made in heaven”. As in all popular dishes, there are always partisan crowds who clearly believe their hometown version is the original and the very best. These would range from the mild “Chinese” type curries to the full blown spicy Chicken Curry.
Curry Laksa in Northern Peninsula
In the northern part of the Malaysia, this dish is simple called curry mee to differentiate it from the spicy and tangy fish based Asam Laksa. On the island of Penang, there is a sub variety known as Siamese Laksa which is a delightful fusion of the two. It is a specialty of the Peranakan community there. In the Central Perak Region, the Cantonese and Hakka communities adapted Curry Laksa to suit their milder palates with yong tau foo (stuffed vegetables) as toppings. There are other regional versions in Malacca, Johor, Kelantan, and Sarawak.
Curry Laksa in the Klang Valley
The version of Curry Laksa also known as laksa lemak I am presenting today predominates in the Klang Valley. It is a thick and spicy coconut based curried noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, fried tofu, bean sprouts, and sambal. Home cooks usually include shrimps in the mix. In my family we also add julienned cucumber, mint leaves, and lime wedges as toppings. These ingredients are hallmarks of the central and southern Nyonya laksa culture.
The combination of spices used for the curry can vary according to personal and regional preferences. It may include red chilies, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, shallots, garlic, and belacan. I chose to use the easily available curry powder for this recipe out of convenience and ease of preparation.
Similar Tools Used in Making This Curry Laksa
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• Oster 6-Cup Glass Jar 12-Speed Blender, Brushed Nickel
• Skimmer 6″ diameter
• Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium onions (peeled and cut into chunks)
- 3 cloves garlic (peeled and halved)
- 1 stalk lemongrass (slice bottom third into rings)
- 1½ inch ginger (peeled and thickly sliced) (45g)
- ½ cup curry powder (50g)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (60ml)
- 4 chicken thighs (skin removed)
- 3 pandan leaves (shredded and knotted)
- 7 cups water (1.7 liters)
- 12 oz bean sprouts (trimmed) (340g)
- 1 lb fresh yellow noodles (450g)
- 8 oz shrimps (peeled and deveined) (225g)
- 1½ cups coconut milk (360ml)
- 12 small pieces deep fried tofu (halved)
- Salt to taste
- ½ cucumber (julienned)
- 3 to 4 sprigs mint leaves (stems removed)
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
- 4 to 6 tsp sambal (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Blend onions, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger with 2 tablespoons of water until fine. Pour mixture into a bowl. Mix in curry powder to form a thick paste.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot. Stir fry spice paste over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and stir till chicken turns opaque, about 3 minutes.
- Add pandan leaves and pour in 7 cups (1.7 liters) of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, fill a separate pot half full of water. Bring to a boil. Scald bean sprouts for about 20 seconds. Remove with a metal strainer.
- Add noodles and cook according to packaging instructions. Remove with metal strainer.
- Remove chicken with tongs. When cool enough to handle, shred meat and discard bones.
- Lower shrimps into curry soup with a metal strainer. Allow shrimps to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until shrimps curl and turn pink. Remove and set aside.
- Pour coconut milk into soup.
- Add deep fried tofu and season with salt. Bring it up to a boil and allow coconut milk to be heated through. Turn off heat.
- Place a portion of noodles and bean sprouts in a bowl. Pour curry soup over noodles and vegetables. Top with shredded chicken meat, shrimps, cucumber, mint leaves, and sambal. Squeeze some lime over noodles if desired.
- Serve immediately.
NUTRITION
Fried Chili Paste in Curry Laksa
For those who enjoy spicy foods, a dollop of sambal in the Curry Laksa is a must. Talk about international trade! The sambal seen here was purchased in an Indonesian restaurant in Amsterdam during Our Week in Holland. To make your own, please check out my Fried Chili Paste recipe on Malaysian Chinese Kitchen.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
Thank you sharing this curry laksa. A bit different to what I’ve seen, tasted or looked at on the internet. I love other peoples influences and find this very inspirational. Thank you for sharing
Glad to provide the inspiration. I guess that’s the fun part of exploring different food cultures. 🙂
How I’d love to have a bowl of your beautiful steaming hot curry laksa in a rainy and cool day like today. Thanks for sharing.
You are most welcomed, Veronica and thanks for visiting! 🙂
This looks so yum! What spices go into the curry powder mentioned? I’m Indian and was wondering if it is similar to Garam Masala. Thank you.
It has a little more spices than garam masala like turmeric and fennel. I do make my own curry powder but the one I used here was store bought.
This dish looks so delicious! I had this in Malaysia restaurant before and loved it.
Really want to try this out, but I don’t have pandan leaves. Will it affect the flavor a lot? I found out a oil named koepoe pandan essence on internet, may I use it instead?
Also, could I use lemon to replace lime?
Please leave the pandan leaves out if you can’t find any at the stores. I would not use an essence in the soup. Yes, lemon would be fine.
Curried Asian Soup… I am standing at the head of the line for a big bowl of this!! Looks amazing. 🙂
Curried laksa is really delicious. I think you will enjoy it, Ramona. 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight, exactly per your recipe but without the pandan leaves, bean sprout and mint. Absolutely delicious, satisfying and warming! Perfect for a cold rainy evening. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I am glad you enjoyed this curry laksa as much as I do. I need to make it again soon. 🙂
This is so mouth-watering…..am drooling now. By any chance, do you have a post on the recipe for Sambal?
The “sambal” I am referring to is this Fried Chili Paste suitable for curry laksa. I also have a Sambal Belacan recipe if you are interested.
Hi
Wil u b able to provide recipe n instructions for curry powder ?
I do have a recipe for curry powder which I will share at a later time. It uses between 10 to 12 spices.
Is there another name for “yellow” noodles? I have a large Asian grocer nearby and they have tons of noodles, but I have never seen any labeled “yellow” noodles. What are they made from? I think I saw this dish on a TV program, I think they were serving it for breakfast, would that be correct?
Yellow noodles are basically egg noodles. You can either use fresh or dried egg noodles.
In Malaysia, almost all noodle dishes are eaten throughout the day including breakfast. 🙂