Curry Laksa

Method

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1. Blend or pound the rempah ingredients to a completely smooth paste.

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2. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the rempah over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens deeply and the oil pools and separates.

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3. Add the stock and bring to a simmer, scraping the base.

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4. Add the palm sugar, fish sauce and salt and simmer 20 minutes.

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5. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a bare simmer — do not boil, or it will split.

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6. Add the tofu puffs and simmer 8 minutes so they soak up the broth.

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7. Add the prawns and cook 2 minutes until just pink.

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8. Taste and balance: laksa should be rich, salty, faintly sweet and unmistakably spiced.

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9. Blanch both noodles and the beansprouts and divide between deep bowls.

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10. Ladle the broth and prawns over, top with laksa leaf, half an egg and a spoonful of sambal, and serve with lime.

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Chef’s Tips

• Fry the rempah longer than feels necessary. Fifteen minutes is not too long and it is where all the flavour lives.
• Never boil the coconut milk. A split laksa looks and tastes wrong.
• Both noodles together is traditional — the springy egg noodle and the soft vermicelli give different mouthfuls.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.
• A pinch of dried chilli flakes works in place of fresh chilli — start with about a third of the quantity the red chillies in the list implies, since dried chilli is more concentrated, and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Pairing Suggestions

• Extra sambal and lime
• A cold beer or iced calamansi
• Kaya toast, if you are making it a full meal

Storage & Reheating

The broth keeps 3 days refrigerated and freezes 2 months. Cook noodles and prawns fresh each time.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.