Curry Laksa or also known as Curry Mee, is a rich and savoury food that is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Southern Thailand. This traditional dish of Peranakan people is a thick wheat noodle served in spicy coconut-based curry topped with shredded chicken, shrimps, fried tofu, hard-boiled egg, and bean sprouts.
Even though it is named Curry Laksa, it is most commonly served with yellow noodle instead of the thick wheat noodles. This dish is widely available from hawker’s stalls and in most restaurants in Malaysia. There are various versions from mild to spicy with different toppings depending on the regions. However, the laksa paste for coconut-based curry gravy is the most important components in the making of this savoury dish.
Laksa paste usually contains several ingredients such as dried chillies, turmeric, garlic, shallots, and lemongrass. It can be made in large portions and freeze it for future use. The preparations may seem complicated, but the result is a tantalising dish that is hard to resist.
Ingredients (5 servings):
- 1/3 cup of cooking oil
- 200 g of chicken breasts
- 300 g of fresh yellow noodle
- 200 g of shrimps (peeled)
- 400 ml of coconut milk
- 100 g of fried tofu (cut in halved)
- 1L of water
- Salt
(Laksa Paste)
- 5 shallots (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 5 dried chillies (soaked in hot water and remove the seed)
- 1 lemongrass (use the bottom third and slice into rings)
- 1 ½ inch of ginger (sliced)
- 50 g of curry powder
- 60 ml of water
(Garnish)
- ½ cucumber (cut into strips)
- ½ lime (cut into wedges)
- 300 g of bean sprouts (blanched)
- 3 hard-boiled eggs (cut in halves)
Directions:
- Blend all the spice ingredients with some water until it is smooth and becomes a thick paste.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir-fry the laksa paste until fragrant, then add chicken breasts and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in water and bring it to a boil, then allow it to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, cook fresh yellow noodles in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, strain it and set aside.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the curry soup and set it aside. Shred the chicken meat once it has cooled down enough to handle.
- Add coconut milk, fried tofu and shrimps into the gravy. Bring it to boil and season with salt accordingly. Let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes then remove from stove.
- To serve the dish, put a portion of noodles and shredded chicken in a bowl. Pour the gravy into the bowl and garnish with beansprouts, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, and lime. Enjoy!
