Laksa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A luscious coconut curry noodle soup loaded with shrimp, fish cake, and cockles in a rich, spice-paste broth. Singapore's laksa is thicker and more decadent than its northern cousin.

Ingredients

400 g thick rice vermicelli (laksa noodles)
300 g large shrimp, shell on
100 g fried fish cake, sliced
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
2 cups seafood or chicken stock
4 tbsp laksa paste (store-bought or homemade)
2 tbsp dried shrimp, soaked and ground
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
150 g bean sprouts, blanched
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
Fresh laksa leaf (Vietnamese mint) for garnish
Sambal chili paste for serving

Instructions

1 Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the laksa paste and ground dried shrimp, and fry for three to four minutes, stirring constantly until the paste darkens and releases an intensely fragrant aroma that fills the kitchen.
2 Pour in the coconut milk and stock, stir to combine thoroughly with the fried paste, then bring to a gentle boil before reducing the heat and simmering uncovered for fifteen to twenty minutes to let the flavors develop and the broth thicken slightly.
3 Add the whole shrimp to the simmering broth and cook for three to four minutes until they curl and turn pink, then remove and set aside, seasoning the broth with fish sauce and sugar and adjusting until the balance of rich, spicy, and savory is achieved.
4 Cook the thick rice vermicelli in a separate pot of boiling water according to package directions until just tender, then drain and cut with kitchen scissors into shorter lengths for easy eating with a spoon in the traditional Singaporean style.
5 Divide the noodles among deep bowls, arrange the cooked shrimp, sliced fish cake, blanched bean sprouts, and halved hard-boiled eggs on top in neat sections for an attractive presentation.
6 Ladle the rich, creamy coconut curry broth generously over the noodles and toppings, garnish with fresh laksa leaves, and serve immediately with a spoonful of sambal on the side for those who want extra heat.