Oh how I miss Singapore and all the delicious multicultural food you can find at its restaurants & hawker centers! My Singaporean favorites are chili crab, curry laksa, and anything with the word “satay” in it – not to mention all the amazing desserts. Haha. I seriously can’t wait until the world opens up again and we’re all able to travel freely! If you’ve never heard of laksa, it’s a fragrant spicy coconut curry-based soup that is often enjoyed with egg or rice noodles and a variety of other ingredients (fish cake, chicken shrimp, clams, bean sprouts, etc.). Fried bean curd/tofu is my favorite ingredient, because it soaks up all those delicious flavors like a sponge! It’s such a unique flavor profile and one that I definitely suggest trying!
Recipe:
Ingredient Prep: You can basically cook everything beforehand and have it ready to assemble: a) Blanch bean sprouts in boiling water for 1 min. b) Cook shrimp (peeled, de-veined) for about 2-3 minutes in boiling water, drop in ice cold water (to stop the cooking process), and drain. c) Cook fish cake (sliced)/fish balls for 1 min. d) Cook boneless/skinless chicken thighs in boiling water for approx. 10 min. Drain and slice. E) Cook your preferred egg noodles or vermicelli according to instructions (1-2 min if using pre-cooked packages).
Soup/Gravy Base: Some ingredients for laksa are a little harder to source in the US, so I chose to use my favorite laksa package by @primataste , which you can find at most Asian supermarkets (eg. H Mart, 99 Ranch). Just follow their instructions by adding their laksa premix into 2 ½ cups of water, add their laksa paste (with laksa leaves), stir, and bring to a boil. Add in your fried bean curds and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Assembly: In a bowl, assemble all your dry ingredients. Then ladle on your rich Laksa gravy over the top, garnish with lime and sambal chili, and enjoy immediately!
