Malay curry laksa (laksa lemak)

Traditionally made with rice noodles, prawns, chicken, tofu puffs and fish balls, this Malaysian curry laksa is not a dish of subtlety. A balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy elements, popular accompaniments include Vietnamese mint and fried Asian shallots.

Curry laksa (laksa lemak) Credit: John Laurie

• serves

  4

• prep

  50 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
• 1.5 litre chicken stock
• 2½ tsp grated palm sugar
• 450 g chicken thighs with bone and skin, or chicken thigh fillets, thickly sliced
• 12 large raw king prawns, shelled, intestinal tract removed, tails left intact
• 500 ml (2 cups) coconut milk
• 12 fish balls (see Note)
• 150 g tofu puffs (see note), thickly sliced 
• 200 g (2½ cups) beansprouts
• 500 g fresh thin rice noodles (see Note)
• fried Asian shallots (see Note), Vietnamese mint leaves (see Note), chilli sambal (see Note) (optional) and lime wedges, to serve

Laksa paste

• 8 small dried red chillies (see Note)
• 2 tbsp dried shrimp (see Note)
• 5 red Asian shallots (see Note), chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped galangal (see Note)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 large lemongrass stalks, trimmed, chopped
• 6 candlenuts (see Note), chopped
• 1 tbsp belachan (dried shrimp paste) (see Note)
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric

Standing time 20 minutes

Instructions

To make laksa paste, place chillies and shrimp in two separate bowls and cover both with enough boiling water to cover. Leave for 20 minutes or until softened. Drain well, then process with remaining ingredients in a food processor to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add laksa paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add stock and sugar. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer. Add chicken, return to a simmer and cook for 4 minutes. Add prawns and cook for 1 minute or until chicken is cooked through and prawns are almost cooked.

Add coconut milk, fish balls, tofu puffs and beansprouts. Stir gently to combine, then bring almost to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes or until prawns are just cooked, beansprouts are wilted and fish balls and tofu are heated through.

Meanwhile, place noodles in a large bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover, then stand for 2 minutes or until heated through. Drain well. Divide noodles, then laksa mixture among bowls. Scatter over fried shallots and mint leaves. Spoon over chilli sambal, if desired, and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Note
• These ingredients are available from Asian food shops.

• For more information on ingredients, read the article.

  

Photography by John Laurie.

As seen in Feast magazine, October 2011, Issue 2. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.

Want more recipes like this? We recommend:

• Our Asian noodle soup collection, featuring pho, mohinga and sumo stew.

• More Malaysian recipes, including roti canai and char kway teow.

• Quick dinner fixes! Instant noodle recipes you will love.

• Peter Kuruvita's seafood fix: Jaffna crab curry.

• Mapo tofu, son-in-law eggs and other classic Asian dishes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.