Malaysia · Soups · Spicy
Curry Laksa
Malaysia's most beloved noodle soup — a rich, spiced coconut curry broth with chicken or shrimp, rice noodles, bean sprouts, and a soft-boiled egg. Bold, aromatic, and deeply satisfying. A bowlful of Southeast Asia.
40 min 380 kcal 2 serves Medium🌶️Spicy🇲🇾Malaysia★★★★☆4.2· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 150 gchicken fillet or shrimp
- 150 grice noodles
- 1 cancoconut milk
- 500 mlchicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tbspred curry paste
- 1 tspsugar
- 1 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tsplime juice
- 1 boiled egg
- 30 gbean sprouts
- fresh cilantro, lime leaves, chili and lime for serving
Method
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the curry paste (or laksa paste) and fry, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes until it darkens slightly and the kitchen fills with a deep, fragrant aroma. This step blooms the spices and builds the flavor base of the entire soup.
- Pour in the chicken broth and coconut milk, stirring to dissolve the paste completely. Bring to a gentle boil, then stir in the sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice. Let it simmer for 5 minutes so the flavors meld. Taste the broth — it should be rich, slightly sweet, salty, and aromatic.
- If using chicken, slice the fillet into thin bite-sized pieces and add to the simmering broth. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the pieces are opaque throughout and tender. If using shrimp instead, add them now and cook just 2-3 minutes until they curl and turn pink — overcooking makes them rubbery.
- While the protein cooks, prepare the noodles separately according to the package directions. Drain and rinse briefly under warm water to prevent clumping. Divide the noodles between deep serving bowls.
- Ladle the hot coconut broth and protein over the noodles. Top each bowl with a halved boiled egg, a handful of fresh bean sprouts, cilantro leaves, thin chili slices, and a lime wedge on the side. Serve immediately — squeeze the lime into the soup at the table for a bright finish.
FAQ
Laksa is a Malaysian noodle soup in a coconut curry broth. Unlike curry, it is a soup — thin, spicy, coconut-forward — served over noodles with toppings like egg, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs.
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Comments (1)
The coconut milk should be added in two stages for curry laksa. First, fry the thick cream from the top of the can with the curry paste until the oil separates — this blooms the spices. Then add the thin coconut milk as the broth base. This two-stage method gives you twice the depth of flavor.