This spicy Chicken Laksa is a Malaysian soup that may have a long list of ingredients, but it's super easy. Malaysian kitchens weave Chinese, Indian, and Malay culinary strands into a complex cuisine.
Lived in Indonesia and Malaysia for a year. Wanted the dish we remember. I had to improvise. Used Thai coconut ginger soup base for lemongrass, used ham broth seasoning for shrimp paste, skipped Sambal. Added mushrooms and shrimp. Was very much what I remember from my time there. I thought the amount of spices was overboard but it was wonderful. I just used the ground stuff from my cabinet.
Will cook soon for company.
I made this for the first time this evening for my fiance who loves Asian and spicy food. I added all of the arbol chilis called for in the recipe, but I did not seed them - spicy indeed! I've never had Malaysian food before, but I think the flavors are reminiscent of Thai food due to mixture of coconut milk and spices. On a whim, I added enoki mushrooms. I simply added them to the bowl with the noodles and sprouts before ladling in the broth. Delicious!
Easy, delightfully spicy and satisfying. However, I never could locate the shrimp paste.
This recipe is pretty close to what I had in Singapore & Malaysia. It's one perfect meal for a cold night.
