Laksa is fragrant, spicy noodle soup that is nourishing, super flavorful, and makes a quick, delicious meal. Use desired protein to make it vegan, vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for the purchase of which we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
I got the first taste of Laksa while on my honeymoon. We traveled across South East Asia, covering Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Needless to say, we sampled a plethora of delicious cuisines during our trip. Laksa is one of the foods that I couldn’t get enough of. I had bowlfulls of this rich, brothy soup, which my tastebuds never forgot. I have craved more of it ever since.
What is Laksa?
Laksa is one of the most popular dishes of southeast Asian origin. It has two main ingredients – the soup and the noodles. The soup base that I had while traveling, and which I have tried to make here, is rich, savory, spiced coconut milk based.
Laksa Paste in this Laksa Soup
This recipe uses store bought laksa paste to make a rich, coconut-based broth. This is added to cooked rice noodles and topped with various other ingredients. If you simply add coconut milk to the store bought laksa paste, as is most commonly recommended, it wouldn’t be this tasty. This recipe adds a lot of other ingredients to store bought laksa paste to make it a flavor-packed broth.
I was looking for a Laksa paste with clean, good ingredients. Many of the store brought ones have preservatives, food starches and bad oils added as the main ingredients. I recently came across this brand, which was a thick green laksa paste and this brand mainly got attention because of the merit of ingredients. You can also use Laksa paste of choice. After adding a ton of flavors, I couldn’t stop slurping the broth.
Other Ingredients used in this laksa soup include vegetable broth, spices to add a lot of flavor, coconut sugar, lime juice for the tang and cashew butter for creaminess.
How to make this delicious Laksa Soup
The first step in making this delicious soup is cook the noodles according to the package directions. Then drain and keep the noodles aside.
Stir fry desired protein. I used extra firm tofu. I fried diced tofu in a little bit of oil until the cubes were golden brown and then set them aside.
Next step is preparing the broth. Add 1 tbsp. oil to a pan and add the grated lemon grass. The lemon grass imparts a nice flavor and aroma lift to the dish. Stir fry on medium heat for a few seconds and add the laksa paste and stir fry for a minute. Add all the spice powders (coriander, ginger, cumin and pepper) and stir fry for a few minutes.
Stir in the vegetable broth, coconut milk, chili crisp, tamari sauce, coconut sugar, cashew butter, lime juice and salt and combine very well. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Add the vegetables and let it cook in the broth for a few minutes. The vegetables should retain their crunch. This soup is nourishing and perfect for a cold night, enjoy warm.
Spilt the cooked noodles between bowls, add the broth, top with cooked protein and all the garnishes.
Laksa Soup Recipe
This fragrant, spicy, creamy noodle soup Laksa, is nourishing and super flavorful, and makes a quick, delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry vermicelli rice noodles
- 2 tbsp. Laksa Paste
- 1 stalk of lemon grass (grated fine)
- 2 tbsp. tamari
- 1 tbsp. Sambal Olek
- 2 tbsp. cashew butter
- 2 tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp. coriander powder
- 1/8 tsp. ginger powder
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- Sprinkle of black pepper
- Juice of half a small lime
- 1/2 can thick coconut milk
- 2.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup broccoli
- 1/2 cup green peppers
- Salt to taste
- Oil to fry
- Toppings - coriander leaves, fried shallots, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, 1/2 cup stir fried tofu or protein of choice.
Instructions
- Cook the packet of noodles as per package directions, drain and set aside. Cut tofu into small cubes, fry until golden brown and set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil (I used avocado oil) in a pan and add the lemon grass. Stir fry on medium heat for a few seconds and add the laksa paste and stir fry for a minute. Add all the spice powders (coriander, ginger, cumin, pepper) and stir fry for a few minutes.
- Add in the vegetable broth, coconut milk, chili crisp, tamari, coconut sugar, cashew butter, lime juice and salt and combine very well.
- Let it simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the vegetables and let it cook in the broth for a few minutes. The vegetables should retain their crunch.
- Spilt the cooked noodles between bowls, add the broth, top with cooked protein and all the other garnishes.
- Enjoy warm.
Notes
You can substitute tofu with protein of choice.
You can also substitute broccoli and green peppers with other vegetables like mushrooms, Bok Choy.
I am sure that you will savor this flavorful dish. If you are in the mood for more mouth-watering, south-east Asian fair, try out this quick, Thai curry soup.
Leave a Reply