Laksa Seafood Noodle Soup Recipe

In a large pot combine chicken or seafood stock, water, dried shrimp (if using), bruised lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and sliced galangal/ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and let simmer lightly while you prepare the paste, about 20 minutes to build flavor. Skim foam if necessary.

After simmering 20 minutes, strain the stock into a clean pot, discarding solids. Keep the strained stock warm on very low heat.

Soak the dried red chilies in hot water for 10–15 minutes until soft, then drain. Reserve a little soaking liquid. If you prefer a milder soup, remove seeds from chilies before soaking.

In a small dry skillet toast coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Crush or grind briefly and set aside.

Place soaked chilies, fresh red chilies, shallots, garlic, turmeric, chopped galangal, chopped lemongrass white part, belacan (shrimp paste), chopped coriander root/stems and toasted spices into a blender or mortar. Add 2–3 tbs of the reserved soaking liquid or a splash of water to help blending. Blend or pound into a smooth paste.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the blended paste, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the oil separates from the paste, 5–8 minutes. Adjust heat to avoid burning. Remove from heat and set aside.

Return the strained warm stock to medium heat. Stir in the fried laksa paste and mix until evenly incorporated. Bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes to cook the paste.

Add coconut milk and stir to combine. Simmer gently (do not boil vigorously) for 5–7 minutes to meld flavors and to prevent coconut milk from splitting.

Season the soup with tamarind paste or lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, salt and white pepper. Taste and adjust balance—laksa should be savory, slightly tangy and mildly sweet. If too spicy, add a little more coconut milk or water; if too thin, simmer a few more minutes to concentrate.

Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Add the firm white fish pieces first and cook 2–3 minutes until just opaque.

Add prawns and squid rings and simmer for another 2–3 minutes until prawns are pink and cooked through and squid is tender. Do not overcook seafood to avoid rubberiness.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package instructions: typically soak or boil rice vermicelli until tender (3–4 minutes) or boil egg noodles 2–4 minutes. Drain and divide among serving bowls, along with a small handful of bean sprouts in each bowl.

Ladle the hot laksa seafood soup and seafood over the noodles in each bowl, ensuring an even distribution of broth and seafood.

Drizzle finishing oil (coconut or chili oil) and a little annatto/paprika oil over each bowl for color and aroma, if using.

Top with halved soft-boiled eggs, chopped cilantro and Thai basil (if using). Sprinkle fried shallots and sliced red chili or a dollop of sambal for extra heat. Serve with lime wedges on the side to squeeze to taste.

Serve immediately while hot. Leftover broth keeps 2–3 days refrigerated; add seafood fresh when reheating to avoid overcooking.