Laksa: One Word, One Pot, One Heckuva Meal

LAKSA IS THOUGHT to be the centuries-old creation of Chinese traders living in Malaysia. The country has long been a crossroads for a variety of Asian cultures. Ethnic Malays, Chinese, and Indians make up the bulk of the population, and their cuisines intermingle to give Malaysia a wide-ranging national menu. 

Years ago I tried a bowl of Laksa while on a 24-hour layover in  Singapore. I rediscovered it recently while contemplating a haul of cockles, a traditional ingredient in Laksa.

Laksa Paste

First you need Laksa paste. If you’re in a hurry you can always buy a jar of pre-mixed paste. Combine the following in a food processor until finely blended:

3 shallots, peeled
3 hearts of lemon grass (the lower white part)
5 hot red chilies, stemmed and seeded to taste
4 slices of galangal
1 thumb ginger, peeled
5 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tsp shrimp paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp paprika
4 tbsp peanut oil

Refrigerate leftover paste in a glass jar.

Laksa for 4

1 cup Laksa paste
2 tbsp peanut oil
4-5 cups stock or water
1 can coconut cream (or less)
2 dozen cockles, shelled, cleaned, and cut into bite-size portions
1 dozen shrimp, shelled (reserve shells)
1 package fried tofu puffs, cut into cubes
1 lb rice noodle and/or egg noodle, cooked
garnish: Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, cilantro, green onion, bean sprouts, lime wedges, diced peppers, chopped peanuts, fried shallot

1. Saute reserved shrimp shells in peanut oil over medium heat until slightly browned; remove with slotted spoon. Next add paste and cook, stirring, a few minutes, careful not to burn.

2. Raise heat and add stock (I used chicken), bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer several minutes.

3. Stir in coconut cream. Add cockles, shrimp, and tofu. Simmer another few minutes until shellfish are done.

4. Divide noodles into bowls. Ladle soup over noodles and garnish.

9 thoughts on “Laksa: One Word, One Pot, One Heckuva Meal

  1. Heather

    I love falling down the Internet’s culinary rabbit holes. I learn so much that way. And speaking of, I just remembered Malayasian food from another post I looked at today. There’s some near me, and now I’m jonesing (though you may have inspired me to just try my own hand).

    Reply
  2. Curtis

    I’ve only had cockles and soft shell clams and found that I preferred the cockles. Now you say the cockle is chewy, which I don’t find it to be bad, but I usually just eat it in chowders. What other clams are less chewy?

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  3. M

    The red bell pepper sounds interesting. I actually use a little tomato paste in my laksa to give it a more vivid colour. So delicious!

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  4. LC

    Banu – In researching this dish I ate it three times in two days. I’m still hungry for more.

    Heather – We’ve got Malay Satay Hut nearby, which is decent. Singapore is calling you…

    Curtis – Well, littlenecks for one are less chewy. Also, it’s easy to overcook cockles, at which point they’re like rubber. But as I say in the post, they more than make up for this with tremendous flavor. Cutting up the cockles helps.

    M – Good call on the tomato paste. I’ll try it next time.

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  5. Curtis

    So then what about razor clams? I’ve never had them, but they are obviously the most famous clam on our coast? What makes them so good?

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