Curry Laksa is rich, creamy and nicely flavored with spices like cloves, ginger, garlic, and coriander seeds. This is a Malaysian's signature dish. I have heard about this dish from my Mayasian college friends who were attending college here in the United States. I was hoping that they would make it for me someday. But I never got to try it until my husband decided to surprise me with this dish that I will be forever grateful...

This is a very rich noodle soup. The flavor in this noodle soup is very intense. I love the rich ingredients in this one meal dish, including chicken, shrimp, fried tofu, and bean sprouts. I also like to add a few squeezes of lime juice and a few teaspoons of my favorite chili to crank up the spiciness of this dish. This curry Laksa recipe is easy to follow. I hope that you will enjoy making and eating this as much as I do.

Spicy Noodle Soup with Coconut Milk - Curry Laksa (Serve 4)

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of water
• 2 1/2 cups of coconut milk
• 3 lbs chicken, quartered
• 1 lb raw shrimps, peeled and deveined (Reserve the shells for the stock)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb dried rice-flour noodles, blanched in boiling water, or dried egg noodles, soaked to soften
• 2 table spoons of fried shallots
• 1 tsp salt, taste to see if more is needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Curry Laksa Spice Paste:

• 6 shallots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 3 candlenuts or almonds, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, smashed
• 4 red chillies, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon of dried shrimp paste (belacan)
• 1 tbsp corianer seed, roughly crushed
• 1 teaspoon of dried shrimp paste
• 2 stems lemongrass, cut in halves and smashed
• 2 tbsp peanut oil

Curry Laksa Garnish:

• 1 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed, and trimmed
• 3 cakes dried deep-fried tofu, sliced thinly
• 3 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled, halves
• extra red chile, seeded and finely chopped

Directions:

1. Pour 5 cups of water and chicken in a stock pot, bring to a boil. Keep boiling for another 30 mins on low heat.
2. Season the shrimps with 1/2 tsp salt, then cover and set aside in a fridge.
3. Prepare the Curry Laksa spice paste. Put shallots, garlic, candle nuts, ginger and chillies in a blender with the oil until very finely chopped.
4. Mix in the shrimp paste with the spice paste, blend for a few seconds longer, then set aside with the lemon grass.
5. Remove the chicken from the pot. De-bone the chicken and cut the meat into pieces for serving later. Set aside in a fridge.
6. Return the bones to the stock, add the shrimp shells and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season it with 1/2 tsp of salt.
7. Put the paste in a large pan with the smashed lemon grass over low heat until fragrant for about 10 minutes.
8. Strain in the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Pour the rice/egg noodles to a large pot of boiling water. Cover and let stand for 3-4 minues.
10. Rinse hot cooked noodles under cold running water and drain well. Set aside.
11. Bring stock to a boil. Add coconut milk and simmer for 12 minutes. Add the chicken, shrimps and fried tofus int he stock, simmer for about 5 minutes. Season to taste.
12. Divide the noodles and the garnishes among 4 serving bowls, then ladle in the soup. Top with more chili, if desire.

This curry lasak recipe is easy to make and so yummy.