• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • Mission and Values
  • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Copyright
  • Contact
  • Roti n Rice
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
Roti n Rice

Roti n Rice

Food to gladden the heart

  • Video Recipes
  • Web Stories
  • Recipe Index
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
      • Southeast Asian
      • Western
      • Fusion
      • Mediterranean
      • Other Cuisines
    • Holiday
      • Chinese New Year
      • Valentine’s Day
      • St Patrick’s Day
      • Easter
      • Thanksgiving
      • Christmas
    • Main Ingredient
      • Beef
      • Poultry
      • Pork
      • Seafood
      • Other Meats
      • Rehash
      • Beans & Lentils
      • Rice & Grain
      • Noodles
      • Egg & Tofu
      • Fruit
      • Vegetables
  • Tutorials
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Reviews
    • Roundups
    • Others
  • Work With Us
Home / Courses / Main Dish / Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa

By: 👩‍🦳 Linda · Published: 🖨 September 4, 2013 · Updated: 💻January 28, 2021 · 🗨 20 Comments

Recipe ▼

Curry Laksa is a Malaysian coconut based curried noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, shrimp, fried tofu, and bean sprouts. A must-try!

Curry Laksa with a variety of toppings.

Curry Laksa is a fusion of Chinese noodles and Southeast Asian curries. Many agree that this concoction is like a “match made in heaven”. As in all popular dishes, there are always partisan crowds who 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 simply known as 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 made this dish to suit their milder palates by combining yong tau foo (stuffed vegetables) as toppings. There are other regional versions in Malacca, Johor, Kelantan, and Sarawak.

Delicious Curry Laksa, a must-try!

Curry Laksa in the Klang Valley

The version I am sharing today predominates in the Klang Valley. Also known as Laksa Lemak, this thick and spicy coconut based curried noodle soup is topped with shredded chicken, fried tofu, bean sprouts, and sambal. Home cooks usually include shrimp 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

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.

Oster 6-Cup Glass Jar 12-Speed Blender, Brushed Nickel
Skimmer 6″ diameter
Pyrex Prepware 1-Cup Measuring Cup

Curry Laksa with a variety of toppings.
5 from 4 votes

Curry Laksa

Curry Laksa is a Malaysian coconut based curried noodle soup topped with shredded chicken, shrimps, fried tofu, and bean sprouts. A must-try!
Author : Linda Ooi
Course : Main Dish
Cuisine : Malaysian
Keyword : curry laksa, curry mee, laksa lemak
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Servings : 4
Calories : 857kcal

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.
    Curry Laksa-8
  • 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

Calories: 857kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @RotiNRice or tag #RotiNRice

Fried Chili Paste

If you enjoy spicy foods, a spoonful of sambal in the curried soup is a must. 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.

Curry Laksa topped with shredded chicken, shrimps, fried tofu, and bean sprouts.

4.3K shares

Categories: 🗂 Main Dish, Noodles, Southeast Asian Tags: 📋 curry, Malaysian, Nyonya

Roti n Rice's Amazon Page Roti n Rice is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Previous Post: « Oven Fried Fish
Next Post: Cempedak Coconut Ice Cream »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. MissFoodFairy says

    September 4, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 4, 2013 at 11:03 pm

      Glad to provide the inspiration. I guess that’s the fun part of exploring different food cultures. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Veronica says

    September 5, 2013 at 12:33 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 6, 2013 at 8:47 am

      You are most welcomed, Veronica and thanks for visiting! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Sayana Rahiman says

    September 5, 2013 at 5:35 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 6, 2013 at 9:07 am

      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.

      Reply
  4. Maggie says

    September 6, 2013 at 10:40 am

    5 stars
    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?

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 6, 2013 at 11:53 am

      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.

      Reply
  5. Ramona says

    September 8, 2013 at 7:22 am

    Curried Asian Soup… I am standing at the head of the line for a big bowl of this!! Looks amazing. 🙂

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 20, 2013 at 12:11 am

      Curried laksa is really delicious. I think you will enjoy it, Ramona. 🙂

      Reply
  6. DongXing says

    September 19, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Biren says

      September 20, 2013 at 12:13 am

      I am glad you enjoyed this curry laksa as much as I do. I need to make it again soon. 🙂

      Reply
  7. Tan says

    March 23, 2017 at 3:43 pm

    This is so mouth-watering…..am drooling now. By any chance, do you have a post on the recipe for Sambal?

    Reply
    • Linda says

      March 23, 2017 at 4:01 pm

      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.

      Reply
  8. Jan says

    March 29, 2018 at 4:19 am

    Hi
    Wil u b able to provide recipe n instructions for curry powder ?

    Reply
    • Linda says

      July 19, 2018 at 10:18 am

      I do have a recipe for curry powder which I will share at a later time. It uses between 10 to 12 spices.

      Reply
  9. Jane Wilcox says

    June 17, 2018 at 12:39 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Linda says

      July 19, 2018 at 10:02 am

      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. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Veroni says

    September 18, 2020 at 11:00 am

    5 stars
    Hi..I have been looking for a good recipe since many years ago . So I found it today. Simply the best one. In Australia, I travel for 2 hours just to have the curry laksa from the Malaya corner. One of my favorite dishes. So I made curry laksa tonight😋… it was beautiful.. everyone loved it. I’m going to follow only this recipe here after.. thank you so much for the recipe.. 🙏

    Reply
    • Linda says

      September 20, 2020 at 1:28 pm

      I am so glad to hear that you found my curry laksa recipe to your liking and to be the best one. 🙂 I personally love curry laksa and it is hard for me to try something else when there is curry laksa on the menu.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar


My grace is sufficient for thee…
2 Corinthians 12:9

Hi, I’m Linda! I make quick, easy meals, and spin on classics and old favorites with focus on Malaysian, Chinese, and American cuisines. Read more →

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Roti n Rice

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

My grace is sufficient for thee…

2 Corinthians 12:9

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Copyright

© 2010–2023 · Roti n Rice · All Rights Reserved