Laksa is a soupy spicy noodle street food popular all over Singapore and Malaysia. The recipe includes a special curry paste with aromatic fresh herbs and spices. This is my cheat version of what I would normally make. I try to make my own paste whenever possible or when I’ve made a trip to my local Asian market and lucky enough to find fresh Thai herbs. In reality, I don’t have the time, or the ingredients to make my own every time. But I always have a couple of curry paste varieties for this very reason. Which means a delicious, fragrant Laksa is always on stand by. This recipe has tender pieces of chicken, with fresh vegetables, slurpy noodles and and fresh herbs all sitting proudly on an aromatic coconut-y broth. And the best news is it all comes together in under 30 minutes.
This really is a bit of a blank canvas and you could use whatever Asian vegetables you have available. baby boy choy, baby broccoli, broccolini, green beans, snow peas, spring onions, bean sprouts would all be delicious and perfect to pair with the soup. You could also substitute the chicken for seafood or tofu if that is your preference.
Ingredient Highlights
- Red Curry Paste: my favorite is Mae Ploy brand. (affiliate link)
- Noodles: rice is the best.
- Herbs: cilantro, Thai Basil, mint will add lots of freshness.
- Spices/Aromatics: I stock slices of galangal, lemongrass in my freezer which are great to bump up flavors. I also added some fresh turmeric, a couple of cashew nuts and kaffir lime lea es.
- Liquids: I used a combination of chicken broth and regular coconut milk.
- Vegetables: any fresh seasonal veggies are good in this recipe, we specially love green beans, asparagus, snap peas, bean sprouts, baby broccoli. You don’t have to use all of them, but a few will give delicious flavor and nutrition.
- Proteins: we went with chicken tenders, I also made it with tofu and shrimp equally delicious.
- Garnishes: sliced red chillies, cilantro, Thai Basil, spring onions and of course lime wedges will bump the flavors, balance and so much freshness.
Easy Spicy Curry Laksa
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders thinly sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1-14 oz can coconut milk about 400ml
- 4 portion rice noodles or noodles of your choice like egg noodle cooked according to packet instructions
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
Aromatics
- 1 lemongrass, chopped
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2-3 kaffir lime leaves
- 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2-3 tbsps red curry paste
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Veggies and Garnishes
- 1 bunch baby broccoli
- handful green beans or snap peas/ bok choy other veggies of your choice
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped you can also use Thai Basil and mint
- 3-4 stalks spring onions chopped
- 2-3 cups bean sprouts
- 1-2 thai or milder red chilli, chopped
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Place the lemongrass, garlic and kaffir,lime leaves in a mini processor or chopper and blitz until it is a nice fine consistency. Add the red curry paste and pulse a couple more times.
- Heat a large saucepan and add a little oil if needed. Add and stir fry the onion until just starting to soften.Add the Next add the curry paste and sauté. Stir fry for a minute, it should be fragrant, about two minutes. Add the chicken pieces before pouring in the stock and coconut milk. Gently stir well to combine and allow the soup come up to a simmer. Stir well to separate the chicken pieces. The chicken should cook in 3-4 minutes depending on the size of the pieces.
- While the soup simmers add the fish sauce lime juice and sugar, stir and taste. Adjust any seasoning, you should have the good balance of sweet, salty, sour and spice. Continue to simmer on a low heat 1-2 minutes more.
- While the soup simmers blanch the bean sprouts, baby broccoli, snap peas or any other veggie you’re using. Fully cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain the bean shoots and veggies.
- To serve the Laksa, drain the noodles and divide between four large serving bowls. Ladle over the laksa, dividing the chicken, veggies and broth evenly, place a generous handful of the bean sprouts, cilantro, green onions on top. Serve with wedges of lime.
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