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Malaysian · Singaporean

Curry laksa

Non-vegetarian

Yellow noodles and rice vermicelli in a rich, spicy coconut curry broth with chicken, prawns, tofu, bean sprouts and boiled egg.

Curry laksa is a Malaysian noodle dish, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with dried whole chillies, coconut milk and egg noodles. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Curry mee
Photo: chee.hong / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
40 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
950

Ingredients

4 servings

For the paste

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the drained chillies, shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), lemongrass (opens in a new tab), galangal (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab), coriander and shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) with a little water to a fine paste.

  2. Step 2

    Fry the paste in the oil in a large pot, stirring, until deep red, fragrant and the oil separates.

  3. Step 3

    Add the stock and chicken and simmer until the chicken is cooked; lift it out, shred or slice it and return it later.

    • 15 min
    • medium heat

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C in the centre.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the coconut milk (opens in a new tab), tofu puffs (opens in a new tab), fish sauce (opens in a new tab), palm sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt and simmer gently. Add the prawns (opens in a new tab) for the last 2 minutes.

    • 6 min
    • medium-low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Blanch the noodles and bean sprouts (opens in a new tab) briefly in boiling water and divide between bowls.

  6. Step 6

    Ladle over the hot broth with chicken, prawns (opens in a new tab) and tofu. Top with egg (opens in a new tab), laksa leaf (opens in a new tab), lime (opens in a new tab) and sambal.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedA Peranakan (Straits Chinese) dish shared by Malaysia and Singapore; neither origin is settled.Also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Noodles · Soups · Main courses
    Cooking method
    Simmered, Boiled
    Taste
    spicy (chilli heat), rich, creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced
    Diet
    Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
    All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    One-pot
    Cook more with
    Dried whole chillies · Coconut milk · Egg noodles · Shallot · Garlic · Lemongrass
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Blanching · Bhunao

    Allergens

    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg noodles, egg
    • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
    • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste, prawns / shrimp, fish sauce
    • Contains: Wheatfrom egg noodles
    • Contains: Glutenfrom egg noodles
    • Contains: Soyfrom fried tofu pouches (aburaage)
    • May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    950 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 718 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 22%
    • Carbohydrate 33%
    • Fat 45%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy950 kcal132 kcal
    Protein53.9 g7.5 g
    Carbohydrate80.7 g11.2 g
    Net carbohydrate——
    Sugars——
    Added sugars3.2 g0.4 g
    Fibre——
    Fat48 g6.7 g
    Saturated fat23.5 g3.3 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol303 mg42 mg
    Sodium1670 mg233 mg
    Salt equivalent4.2 g0.6 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1449 mg
    Calcium
    248 mg
    Iron
    11.1 mg
    Magnesium
    184 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    —
    Vitamin C
    —
    Vitamin D
    —
    Vitamin B12
    —
    Folate (DFE)
    —

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: laksa leaf (vietnamese coriander), lime, chilli sauce (sriracha-style).
    • Galangal: Fresh ginger used as a stand-in: no galangal entry in FDC SR Legacy, and galangal is a closely related rhizome used in similar small amounts.
    • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
    • Jaggery / palm sugar: Brown sugar (FDC 168833) used as a stand-in for unrefined cane jaggery and palm sugar.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Adding a handful of dried shrimp to the paste deepens the broth.

    Common mistakes

    • Boiling hard after adding the coconut milk can split it.

    Storage

    • Broth keeps 3 days refrigerated; store noodles separately.

    Reheating

    • Reheat broth gently; blanch fresh noodles.

    Variations

    • Katong laksa (Singapore): Singapore style with short-cut vermicelli eaten with a spoon, and cockles.
    • Asam laksa (Malaysia): Penang's sour, tamarind-and-fish broth without coconut — a quite different dish.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 3, 4, 5, 6

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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