Laksa

Ingredients

Rempah (spice paste)

• 12dried red chillies, soaked 20 min and deseeded
• 150 gshallots, peeled
• 5garlic cloves
• 30 ggalangal, sliced
• 2lemongrass stalks, white part only, sliced
• 20 gfresh turmeric, or 1 tsp ground
• 6candlenuts (or macadamias)
• 2 tsptoasted belacan (shrimp paste)
• 3 tbspdried shrimp, soaked 15 min
• 1 tspground coriander

Gravy

• 500 gmedium prawns, shells and heads reserved
• 1.2 litreswater
• 6 tbspneutral oil
• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 200 mlcoconut cream
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 2 tspsugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 150 gfried tofu puffs, halved
• 150 gfish cake, sliced

To serve

• 500 gthick round rice noodles (laksa noodles), soaked or blanched and cut into 5 cm lengths
• 200 gcockles, blanched 30 seconds (optional)
• 200 gbeansprouts, blanched
• 20 glaksa leaf (daun kesom / Vietnamese mint), finely shredded
• 4 tbspsambal chilli
• 1lime, in wedges

Directions

1. Pound or blitz all the rempah ingredients to a fine, smooth paste, adding a splash of water if the blender stalls. Smoothness matters: gritty rempah makes a grainy gravy.
2. Fry the reserved prawn shells and heads in 1 tbsp oil over high heat until bright orange and smelling sweet, crush them with the back of a ladle, add the water and simmer 25 minutes. Strain and press hard; you want about 900 ml of intense stock.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the rempah, stirring almost constantly, for 15–20 minutes. It is ready when the paste darkens by two shades and a clear red oil splits out at the edges.
4. Pour in the prawn stock and simmer 10 minutes, then add the coconut milk and bring back to a bare simmer, never a boil.
5. Season with fish sauce, sugar and salt. Add the tofu puffs and fish cake and cook 5 minutes so the puffs drink up the gravy.
6. Poach the peeled prawns in the gravy for 2 minutes, until just opaque and curled into a loose C, then lift them out.
7. Stir the coconut cream in off the heat for the final richness and check the seasoning; the gravy should taste sweet, salty and faintly funky from the belacan.
8. Divide the short noodles and beansprouts between four bowls, ladle over the gravy, top with prawns, cockles and a heap of shredded laksa leaf, and serve with sambal and lime. Katong laksa is eaten with a spoon only.

Technique

• Frying the rempah properly (pecah minyak, ‘breaking the oil’) is the difference between laksa and coconut soup. Stop too early and the paste tastes raw and sour.
• Never let the gravy boil once the coconut milk is in or it will split into an oily, curdled mess.
• Katong-style noodles are cut short precisely so the whole bowl can be eaten with a spoon, cockles and all.

Substitutions

• No belacan: use 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste from any Southeast Asian brand, toasted in foil until pungent. Skipping it entirely leaves the gravy hollow.
• Laksa leaf is hard to find; use coriander stems plus a few mint leaves, accepting that the signature perfume is lost.
• Candlenuts can be replaced with macadamia or blanched cashews for the same thickening starch and fat.

Variations

• Penang asam laksa, a completely different sour tamarind and mackerel broth with no coconut.
• Sarawak laksa, thinner and built on a sambal-and-tamarind base with omelette strips.

History

The Katong version of this Peranakan coconut noodle soup is served with noodles cut short so it can be eaten with a spoon alone.

Frequently asked questions

What is Laksa?

Laksa is a soup & stew from Singapore: katong-style thick rice noodles in rich coconut prawn gravy. The Katong version of this Peranakan coconut noodle soup is served with noodles cut short so it can be eaten with a spoon alone.

How long does Laksa take to make?

Laksa takes 45 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Laksa?

Yes, within limits. No belacan: use 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste from any Southeast Asian brand, toasted in foil until pungent. Skipping it entirely leaves the gravy hollow. Laksa leaf is hard to find; use coriander stems plus a few mint leaves, accepting that the signature perfume is lost. Candlenuts can be replaced with macadamia or blanched cashews for the same thickening starch and fat.

What is the most important thing to get right in Laksa?

Pour in the prawn stock and simmer 10 minutes, then add the coconut milk and bring back to a bare simmer, never a boil.