Malay curry laksa recipe (laksa lemak)

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  • Cuisine: Malaysian
  • Serves 4-6

Read SBS Feast editor Alix Clark's blog post on making this colourful dish for the first time.

Ingredients

60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
1.5L chicken stock
21/2 tsp grated palm sugar
450g chicken thighs with bone and skin or chicken thigh fillets, thickly sliced
12 large green king prawns, peeled, cleaned
500ml (2 cups) coconut milk
12 fish balls*
150g tofu puffs*, thickly sliced
200g (21/2 cups) bean sprouts
500g fresh thin rice noodles*
Fried Asian shallots*, Vietnamese mint leaves*, chilli sambal* (optional) and lime wedges, to serve

Laksa paste
8 small dried red chillies*
2 tbsp dried shrimp*
5 Asian red eschalots*, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped galangal*
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large stalks lemongrass, trimmed, chopped
6 candlenuts*, chopped
1 tbsp belachan (dried shrimp paste)*
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
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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 bean sprouts, 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, sprouts 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.

*Available from Asian food shops.

Photography by John Laurie.

If you enjoyed this Malay curry laksa recipe (laksa lemak) then browse more Malaysian recipes, soup recipes, noodle and dumpling recipes, entertaining recipes, prepare ingredients in advance recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.

Malaysian Restaurants

Displaying 10 of 194 Malaysian Restaurants.

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1. Chinta Ria   St Kilda
2. Harry's Singapore Chilli Crab   Sydney
3. Abell's Kopi Tiam   Manuka
4. Asian Cafe   City
5. Dickson Asian Noodle House   Dickson
6. Leong Kitchen   Campbell
7. Rasa Sayang   Dickson
8. Sammy's Kitchen   City
9. Timmy's Kitchen   Manuka
10. Rendezvous Cafe   Darwin

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