Recipe for Singapore Laksa Paste
Curry in a hurry…..
One of my favourite dishes has to be laksa, I’ve eaten versions of it in its spiritual homes of Malaysia and Singapore, often quite different, always quite wonderful.
A laksa is essentially a one dish meal of noodles and seafood, variations on a theme abound as fusion cookery took its course but essentially it should be fish and noodles in a cross between a soup and a curry.
Different regions cook different versions, in Singapore you are likely to find a laksa made with coconut milk; rich, creamy and satisfying whilst Malaysian’s leave out the coconut and cook something more akin to a red/brown curry. Laksa Lemak is a classic laksa, full of strong flavours such as red chilli, dried shrimp, lemongrass and laos powder. It also features one of my favourite Asian herbs Vietnamese Coriander which is an essential flavouring, use fresh coriander if you can’t get hold of any.
The paste used in a laksa is the building block upon which the rest of the dish is assembled, unlike other curry pastes it is not as time consuming but a little attention whilst making it will pay dividends later.
Here’s a recipe for Singapore laksa paste, you can use it in other ways if you wish. It can be used as the base for a curry recipe or make a note of it until I post a recipe for Singapore laksa in a day or two, I’ll give you the recipe for the paste now as it can be made in advance and will give you time to get hold of the ingredients plus it prevents this post from being longer and more boring than you might already be finding it…
Singapore Laksa/Laksa Lemak Spice Paste
2 chopped small onions
4 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tbsp crushed blanched candle nuts (or blanched plain peanuts)
2 tbsp soaked dried shrimp
2 bulbs of fresh lemongrass finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh galangal or fresh ginger
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
Put the lot into a food blender and blitz until smooth, you may need to add a little vegetable oil to help it all come together. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and blend again. Put in a bowl and refrigerate until required.
MIles
thanks for this, I love these simple and easy to cook recipes you do on this blog that can be done with realistic ingredients and within a reasonable time frame - many thanks
Rod
July 23, 2008 @ 7:04 am
Rod,
The shrimp paste is required if you want an authentic reproduction but if you don’t think you would use it much thereafter then it can be omitted as it can be for a vegetarian curry.
Miles
July 23, 2008 @ 7:07 am
this is awesome, i’ve been searching the net for a quick laksa paste, just going to take out the shirmp and perfect
thanks heapsss
March 2, 2009 @ 6:29 am
Lucy,
Welcome to the site and thank you for taking the time to comment.
I’m glad you have found this of use, make it a couple of times and adjust it to your particular preference.
Hope you enjoy it.
kind regards
Miles
March 2, 2009 @ 7:19 am
Sounds good… have been searching for a bit…Am going to try this out tonight… i don’t have fresh tumeric…. will see how this turns out…
May 7, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
do today and come out great. have half balance to put in fridge. next time i would have blend more to keep. thx miles
January 15, 2010 @ 4:41 am
Hendry,
Welcome to the site and thank you for your comment. Glad you like it and hope you return again soon,
kind regards
Miles
January 15, 2010 @ 4:45 pm
Hey nice little paste recipe here! Keep up the good work, I love a good laksa, I’ll be sure to follow what you’re up to.
Thanks,
Paul
February 8, 2010 @ 5:48 am
Paul,
Welcome to the site, I can see from your site that you’re fond of one!!
Kind regards
Miles
February 8, 2010 @ 8:19 pm
Miles,
Love the recipe, been searching for one for a long time. Just wondering why you don’t put chillies in it. Haven’t seen one without them in sometime.
Kind regards,
Jess
February 9, 2010 @ 7:35 am
Jess,
Welcome to the site and thank you for your comment. This recipe uses chilli powder rather than fresh or whole dried chillies. I have found in the past that certain Singapore pastes use only ground spices as per a garam masala. I usually serve this with a side dish of fresh or pickled chillies to adjust the heat as desired.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Miles
February 10, 2010 @ 8:27 am
Great recipe!
I make up a batch of paste and then freeze it in ice cube trays - then just drop a couple of cubes into a pan with your coconut milk etc for a quick laksa any time.
September 20, 2010 @ 9:58 pm
Hamish,
Many thanks and that’s a great tip-very handy.
Hope you return again soon.
Kind regards
Miles
September 21, 2010 @ 12:35 pm