Curry laksa by peachpurple
Copyright allrights reserved by Peachpurple
I am a Curry Laksa fan.
I would definitely try any laksa on the block if I could find one.
However, I sure missed the old Cathay Laksa which was
once the Southern State number one laksa that every patron had to queue up to have a bowl of hot piping delicious spicy laksa.
At that time, it cost RM2.50 per bowl ( less than USD$1 ).
That was 25 years ago.
My dad used to take me and my brother to have a morning breakfast at Cathay laksa after every Sunday Mass.
It was the best treat we had after enduring the preaching and sleepy heads.
My dad had taught us to consume Laksa in order to overcome spicy food which we had learned to adapt to it.
What is laksa?
· Laksa is actually a bowl of yellow noodle with spicy soup, a mixture of Nyonya flavor.
· Laksa is very popular in Asia countries especially Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
· There are 2 versions of laksa availability; Asam Laksa ( very popular in Penang, Malaysia ) and Curry Laksa ( popular among the Malay communities ).
Asam Laksa by wikipedia
What is Asam Laksa
Asam Laksa uses tamarind to produces the sour flavor soup mix with mackerel fish, shredded cucumber, onions, red chillies, mangoes, mint leaves and bunga kantan ( ginger flower ).
Those Asam Laksa lovers prefer to have rice vermicelli and kway teow rather than yellow noodles.
Curry Laksa by wikipedia
What is Curry laksa
Curry Laksa uses pure coconut mix with curry paste ( red chillies, onions, galangal, garlic, ginger, curry powder ) to form thick laksa soup, accompanied with slices of fish cakes, fresh raw cockles ( I hate that! ) bean curd puffs ( I call it Tau-Hu-Pok ) , prawns and shredded cooked chicken.
Some people would generously add sambal paste for additional spicy kick but I would rather keep it aside as this Curry Laksa is spicy enough to gulp down a glass of iced water!
The Origin of Laksa
It is believed that Laksa was originally found in Indonesia.
Back in the olden times, the Chinese immigrants who came from China had worked as fisherman and sailors in Indonesia.
They had learned to mix the Chinese cuisine with Indonesia spicy cuisine together that had created the wonderful meal called “Laksa”.
However according to our ancestors, Laksa was found in Malacca, Malaysia where the Baba Nyonya Peranakans had contributed this dish to the locals.
Which is the reason why you may find Chinese restaurants menu with Curry or Asam Laksa.
Here is the Curry Laksa recipe that my mom used to cook for us when we were young.
Still, it cannot beat the Cathay Laksa stall that I had tried.
Curry Laksa by peachpurple
Ingredients:
# 250g yellow noodles
# oil for cooking
# 3 shallots,sliced
# 1cm ginger, sliced
# 1 fresh red chilly, sliced
# 150g prawns, remove shells and deveined
# 100g cockles
# 100g fish cakes, fried and sliced
# 3 beancurd puffs, cut into halves
# 200ml thick coconut milk
# 100ml water
# 100g bean sprouts or mustard greens
# 1 tbsp curry paste
# salt and sugar to taste
# cooked chicken meat, shredded ( optional )
Method of making:
1. Wash yellow noodles and drain well.
Bring a pot of water to boil and scald the noodles briefly. Drain well again. Leave aside.
2. Heat up wok with oil. Saute shallots and ginger until fragrant.
3. Add in curry paste, prawns and chillies. Stir fry for 5 minutes under lo not burn the paste.
4. Add in coconut milk and water , bring to boil.
5. Simmer until curry soup thickens.
6. Add in cockles, bean sprouts and bean curd puffs.
7. Add seasoning to taste, allow it to simmer another 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
8. To serve, place noodles into individual bowls, add in fried fish cakes and cooked chicken before pour the curry soup over them, containing the rest of the ingredients.
9. Serve hot with sambal paste.
10. Yield: 3-4 persons
Have you tried Laksa?
Do you prefer Asam or Curry Laksa?
Do you drink cold beverages of when you consume Laksa?
Do you know that Fresh milk could lessen the spiciness on your tastebuds?
Do share with me your opinion.
I would love to hear from you.
Cheers!!
Photos by peachpurple
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View Comments
I am interested in getting this one. My mouth is watery for the spicy taste this noodle may offer. One thing more that pushes my taste buds to over function is the coconut mix used in the Laksa noodles recipe. Any food preparation with coconut mix or coconut milk enhances my appetite.
I don't know if this noodle is present in the Philippines. I would like my wife to prepare this for me. I know she could understand to follow the simple recipe posted here.
@nakitakona13/
thanks for your comments,
You can replace yellow noodles with other type of noodles that are available in your country.
Yes, most Indians , Muslims and chinese love coconut related recipes plus the spice.
I am sure your wife would have no problem with this recipe.
Let me know how it turns out.
It looks delicious as always, Peachy! I think the Asam version looks intriguing. I do like the rice vermicelli :)
It sounds so yummy. Thank you for sharing the recipe secret of this menu. I haven't tried to eat this kind of food. It is somewhat similar to the other noodles. But the ingredients are so distinct that makes the difference in preparation.
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.