Laksa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A rich, spicy coconut curry noodle soup packed with shrimp, tofu puffs, and bean sprouts in a deeply fragrant broth. Malaysia's most iconic bowl of comfort.

Ingredients

400g thick rice noodles or rice vermicelli
200g shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
4 tbsp laksa paste
2 cups chicken stock or water
200g tofu puffs, halved
1 cup bean sprouts
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
Laksa leaf (Vietnamese mint) for garnish
Sambal for topping
Lime wedges
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1 Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the laksa paste and fry for three to four minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste is deeply fragrant and the oil begins to separate from the spices.
2 Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock, stirring well to combine with the paste. Add the fish sauce and sugar, then bring the broth to a gentle simmer, reducing the heat to medium-low.
3 Let the broth simmer for seven to eight minutes to allow the flavours to develop and meld together. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional fish sauce or salt if needed. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer.
4 Add the shrimp to the simmering broth and cook for two to three minutes until they curl and turn pink. Add the tofu puffs and warm them through for one minute. Avoid overcooking the shrimp.
5 Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to the packet instructions in a separate pot of boiling water. Drain well and divide the noodles among four deep serving bowls, twisting them into loose nests.
6 Ladle the hot coconut broth generously over the noodles, then arrange the cooked shrimp, tofu puffs, and hard-boiled egg halves on top of each bowl, distributing the proteins evenly among the servings.
7 Top each bowl with a handful of fresh bean sprouts, torn laksa leaves, and a squeeze of lime juice. Add a dollop of sambal on the side for those who prefer extra heat. Serve immediately while steaming hot.