Laksa is a popular spicy soup from Peranakan cuisine, which is a combination of Chinese and Malay styles. The most popular in our part of the world is curry laksa – a coconut milk curry soup with noodles. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, but the recipe below is more of a fusion, using Japanese udon noodle.
A good laksa has a tasty balance of spicy, sweet, sour and salty flavours. The following is fast, delicious and a great place to start, if you haven’t tried a laksa before.
Ingredients
- 1 large single chicken breast, skin removed and sliced thinly
- 1 cup raw prawns (frozen is fine)
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
- 100g green beans
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 750 ml chicken stock
- 300g udon noodles
- salt and pepper
- light flavoured vegetable oil
Method
Heat a deep pan with a little oil and lightly brown the chicken. Remove and set aside.
Add garlic, ginger, chilli sauce, beans and stir fry for a minute.
Mix in coriander, coconut milk, fish sauce, stock and chicken. Bring to a simmer.
Add prawns and noodles, then season.
Once the prawns change from green to pink, garnish with fresh coriander and chilli and serve.