Laksa Soup

Laksa soup is my vegetarian take on flavorful Malaysian red-curry soup with pleasantly spicy coconut-curry broth, rice noodles, tofu and crunchy peanuts.

Posted On: Sep, 26 |  Author:
Laksa Soup
Diet Info: DF GF F LF Na LS VG V Fa

Starting Monday with a flavorful meatless vegetarian coconut curry soup made with Malaysian-style red curry paste called Laksa. Just like any other glorious bowl of Curry Soup, I like to eat Laksa soup loaded with zucchini simmered in creamy spicy coconut-curry broth, topped with silky rice noodles and fresh tofu.

Topped with crunchy peanuts, fresh cucumber and generous splash of lime juice... this soup is bowl-of-heaven for curry lovers! 

Oh, you know the best part?! I often ready the Laksa paste over the weekend and then enjoy Laksa soup, any day of the week, in just 10 minutes! An amazingly flavorful subtle-spicy broth comes together with Laksa paste, coconut milk, vegetable stock, and splash of lime juice. That sounds easy, isn't it?

I'm sure you thinking red-curry paste and subtle spicy? I agree that red-tone curry pastes are mostly considered spicy due to use of lot of chilies... but laksa soup is not different and has flavor of chilies yet it is not that hot spicy. Actually the sweetness of coconut milk, and hint of sugar balance the spice and makes Laksa broth savoury. 

However, if you like heat, you can use more Laksa paste too. Then just dunk-in some rice noodles and slurp!

Creamy Vegetarian and flavorful Laksa Soup with Rice Noodles for comforting winter dinner | chefdehome.com

First time, I tried Laksa soup in London, UK. We had a 12 hours layover in London. Of course, we got short visa and decided to explore the city a bit. Vishal had lived in London for sometime. So finding our way around, with all train-network of London, was fairly easy. It was cold winter evening and our first stop was in small eatery in busy part of the city. All they sold was some pastries, soups and sandwiches. And Vishal's favorite fish and chips. I think, every eatery in London has fish and chips in their menu. :)

So, shivering in the cold, I was scanning the menu for a familiar soup. Reading the world "curry" I stopped at Curry Laksa Noddle Soup. There was option to add chicken or veggies and I decided to keep it veggie-only. Even talking about that soup bowl reminds me of rich, creamy, aromatic soup. I don't even remember breathing few times before I finished that bowl. And in minutes of, feeling harsh winter, I felt warm head to toe. Indeed it was an unforgettable experience. In-fact, pictures of the soup today are totally inspired from the bowl of soup I drank that day. 

I never thought to try and make it at home until last year when UK Chef and TV personality Nigella Lawson shared the picture of Laksa Soup she had in a London restaurant. That day I spent lot of time researching for the recipe... and spent hell lot of time trying to create that silky smooth soup with amazingly beautiful color.

I'm happy to say, after a number of tries, I found the taste and balance of flavor I was looking for. This recipe is very close to my original experience and I love it. Since early this year, it has become a staple in our home. 

Rich and flavorful coconut curry broth of Laksa Soup | chefdehome.com

How to make Laksa Paste?

Laksa paste is essentially a red curry paste and is back-bone of Laksa soup. Hence the name - Laksa. You will be surprised that such simple 6 ingredients provide depth of flavor and rich color to laksa soup.  If you look at the list in recipe below, all are easy to find pantry-staples. I mean, we all have lime, onion, garlic, dried chilies in our kitchen? Right? If you don't have **Sambal Oelek (chili paste) in your pantry? You can replace it with sriracha or any regular Asian chili-garlic paste.

Now, I must tell you that authentic Laksa Paste or laksa recipe uses Lemongrass instead of lemon or lime. I had full plans to use lemongrass too. But, thing is, it is not that easy to find everywhere. Also, lemongrass paste, which is often used to avoid hard stems of lemongrass in soups/curries, is not that easy to find either. So I decided to switch to my trusty ingredient that I often use when recipe calls for lemongrass and I don't have any.

Let me tell you, if you are every  get stuck on a recipe due to not finding lemongrass? Just do this: zest a whole lime and mix with three tablespoon of lime juice. For every 1 tbsp of lemongrass paste use 1 tbsp of this mixture. And you will not notice difference in the flavor.

Homemade Laksa Curry Paste | chefdehome.com

To make paste, I process all ingredients in food processor until smooth paste forms. If mixture looks too thick, I add a little more oil or lime juice. Laska paste stays good in refrigerator for 1 week. Recipe below is good to make soup twice.

Comforting Malaysian Red Curry Laksa Soup with Rice Noodles and Tofu | chefdehome.com

Originally, Laksa soup is from Malaysian/Singapore region but this recipe is my taste of Laksa from London. I adapted the recipe from a number of sources in attempt to create these flavors. In no particular order, the list of sources referred are listed in the Recipe Notes. During my research, I also came to know that there is a similar version of Laksa soup in Asaam, India. I think, every country leaves their mark on a recipe as it travels.

Vegetarian Laksa Soup with Rice Noodles tofu and Zucchini for flavorful homemade Asian style dinner at home | chefdehome.com

So friends, a bowl of laksa soup is perfect to way to enjoy cold fall-winter or evening. Blend a batch of laksa paste in advance, then make vegetarian laksa soup for dinner in just 10 minutes. Find you favorite comfy couch in house... Sip the soup and slurp the noodles. Enjoy!

Wish you wonderful day ahead. -Savita x

Laksa Soup

5 (6 reviews)
Laksa Soup
Total Time: Prep Time: Cook Time: Cuisine: Asian () Difficulty: Easy
Yields: 4 cups - Serves: 4
(No. of servings depends on serving size.)

Ingredients

Laksa Paste
Laksa Soup
For Serving/Garnish
Smart Swap: You can use any protein instead of tofu - shrimp or chicken (will not be vegetarian)

Directions

  • 1. Make Laksa Paste:  To make paste, in food processor jar, add soaked chilies (discard water in which these were soaked), and all ingredients from the Laksa Paste ingredient list above. Process until smooth pasta forms. Remove in a bowl. Paste stays good for up to one week.
  • 2. Cook Rice Noodles:  Bring a pot of water to rolling boil and cook rice noodles according to package directions.
  • 3. Saute Soup Base and Veggies:  Heat a skillet. Add 1/2 of laksa paste. Saute for 1 minute to develop flavor and also to cook-off raw flavor of onion. Now, add chopped veggies, such as zucchini, (add mushroom or bell pepper if you like) and cook until crisp-tender (not mushy i.e. veggies are cooked but still have bite).
  • 4. Add Liquid and Simmer Soup:  Add vegetable stock and coconut milk with *1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp lime juice, and generous pinch of salt. Bring to boil and simmer until just started to thicken (1-2 minutes). Remove from heat. Taste broth and adjust salt, sugar and lime juice.
  • 5. Assemble Laksa Soup and Serve:  In four serving bowls, add serving of cooked noodles, ladle soup on top dividing equally. Top with sliced tofu, sliced cucumber, cilantro and more chilies. Serve and enjoy!
Savita's Notes:

Sambal Oelek is not vegan whereas rest of the ingredients in this soup are all vegan. So, you can replace sambal paste with a regular vegan chili-garlic paste to make this soup vegan.

* I end up adding up-to a tbsp sugar to balance the flavors. Also, it is best to taste and adjust salt. Salt brings out the flavor of everything - coconut, curry paste. Sauce may take 2-5 minutes to thicken. Keep simmering until soup has desired consistency.

Disclaimer: Recipe adapted from: here and here
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Tag @SAVITACHEFDEHOME on Instagram and hashtag it #SAVITACHEFDEHOME

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39 Responses

  1. Hi there, I’d like to try this, can I make heaps of the laksa paste in one go, does it freeze ok?
  2. Holy moly this recipe is a keeper for sure! I was lacking fresh ginger and shallots so subbed white onion and dried ginger to make the paste, it turned out wonderfully. Will definitely try again when I have those missing ingredients on hand, thank you Savita 🙏 just delicious.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    Thanks for letting me know. Smart use of ingredients in hand.🙌
  3. The BEST Laksa recipe I’ve tried.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    Thanks for the feedback!
  4. Please send me your curry laksa recipe with the picture it is the best I have ever seen and it is exactly what I want to make
  5. I really want to make this but can’t use cashews because of allergy. Could I substitute and use almonds? Thank you.
  6. What is cook until crisp? Not mush tender. Cook past mushy tender?
    Saute until veggies are cooked but still have bite. I hope that helps.
  7. this recipe is excellent, have made it twice in the past year and am planning to make it again this week. Sometimes I have lemongrass on hand and and use that instead of the lime juice and it works out great. thanks for an easy recipe that is perfect and even my non-vegan friends loved it!
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  8. I wanted to download or even print out your recipe for the vegetarian curry laksa.. And I can’t even copy the recipe.
  9. The vegetarian laksa recipe sounds delicious. I am trying to be a convert vegetarian and a good recipe is what I would like to start with.
  10. This sounds beautiful. I have been searching far and wide for a good laksa recipe. Laksa is my favorite dish I've ever had the pleasure of eating. Most all recipes I have found say to use the underwhelming store bought paste (blah). I am excited to give this a go! Thanks for posting!
  11. Hello!! Thank you for the recipe! I loved the background story too! Im getting ready to make it for dinner tonight. May I ask, can I use fresh Thai chili peppers instead of dried? Would I still soak in hot water? Thank you for your help!
    Hi Joanna , thanks. Yes, you can use fresh Thai chilies. No need to soak. (I soak dry chilies to re-hydrate.) I hope it helps.
  12. This an the best soup ever! Going to make again today. Do u think the laksa paste would freeze well? I would like to double and freeze for future use
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    Thanks for taking time to give feedback. I appreciate it. Regarding your question: Yes, Laksa Paste should freeze well. I have never frozen it myself but I don't see any ingredient in paste that can be issue in freezing. So, per my experience, freezing sounds a good option. I hope it helps.
  13. This looks so yummy. Do you have any nutritional information?
    Hi Rachelle, I don't have diet information at this time. I'll update it soon.
  14. I don’t think I’ve ever posted a comment on a blog before but I wanted to let you know that I LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it probably a dozen times...my most recent one was tonight! I’ve varied the vegetables in it each time (I always add celery...yum!) but every time it is SO good. Thank you for creating such a healthy, delicious recipe!
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    Sara, thanks for such sweet feedback. It makes my effort of creating recipes worth the effort. I appreciate your feedback.
  15. Really good. I’ll make a double batch next time. I did add 1 tbsp of tomato paste for flavour and colour, along with carrot, capsicum, mushrooms and broccolini.
    ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
    Delwyn, your additions sound delicious. So many options! I'm glad you enjoyed.
  16. I'm really excited to try this! Would you happen to know the nutritional information of your recipe?? I count macros.
    Hi Daryl, I wish I had the nutritional information handy. Let me send it to you as soon as have it.
  17. This looks good, but its really annoying how you uploaded this. I cannot copy and paste your recipe, which I usually do into an app that lets me organize all my recipes as well as scale them, add them to a planner, and create shopping lists. So unfortunately, as good as this sounds, I won't be able to use this or any your recipes.
    Breanna, I regret the inconvenience. If it helps, I can send you PDF. You can also Print the recipe.
  18. Looks so yummy. Do you recipe for sambal chilli paste?
    Hi Anjali, I have the recipe but I never thought to share on the black g. I will post for sure. Please subscribe to CDH newsletter for updates about new posts. Thanks.
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