Quick Chicken Laksa
Serves: 4
A quick and easy Chicken Laksa in under 30 minutes! The perfect noodle soup for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Laksa Broth
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 tablespoons laksa paste, or substitute with Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 500 ml (2 cups) coconut milk
- 1 litre (4 cups) Asian Chicken Stock, or chicken stock with stock cubes
- 2-3 teaspoons fish sauce, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
- 4 makrut lime leaves
- 2 coriander roots
- 2 large chicken breast fillets
- 8 fried tofu puffs, cut in half diagonally
To Serve
- 800 g (1 ¾ lb) thick dried vermicelli noodles, cooked according to packet instructions, see Kitchen Notes
- bean sprouts, I like to blanch them first
- coriander, (cilantro)
- Vietnamese mint, (laksa leaves)
- red chillies, sliced
- limes, quartered
Instructions
To Make the Chicken Laksa Broth
- In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the laksa paste and Thai red curry paste.
- Stir and cook for about 1 minute, or until the the paste looks like it is separating.
- Stir in the coconut milk.
- Then add the chicken stock, fish sauce, sugar, makrut lime leaves, and coriander roots.
- Bring the broth to a gentle simmer.
- Add the chicken breast fillets.
- Turn the stove down to low-medium heat, place the lid on the pan, and cook the chicken breasts for about 12-15 minutes. The water should be simmering gently during this time.
- Once the chicken breasts are cooked through, remove them to a plate.
- Remove and discard the makrut lime leaves and coriander roots.
- Add the tofu puffs.
- Taste for seasoning. Laksa pastes and curry pastes vary in saltiness, so you may need to add more fish sauce (or salt) or water to taste.
To Serve
- Cut the chicken breast fillets into thick slices.
- Place the noodles into large noodle bowls.
- Top the noodles with the bean sprouts and a few slices of chicken per person.
- Ladle over the laksa soup broth.
- Garnish with coriander (cilantro) and Vietnamese mint.
- Serve with chillies and limes.
Kitchen Notes
- WHAT TYPE OF STOCK TO USE
* A homemade Asian Chicken Stock is best for this recipe. But if you are short on time, I find a broth made with chicken stock cubes or chicken stock powder works rather well with the bold curry flavours.
* For a vegetarian option, use vegetable stock. - WHAT TYPE OF NOODLES TO USE
Laksa can be served with different types of noodles, so you can choose the type you prefer, for example:
* thick vermicelli noodles
* thin vermicelli noodles
* thick egg noodles (Hokkien noodles)
* a combination of thin vermicelli noodles and thick egg noodles - HOW TO COOK DRIED VERMICELLI NOODLES
Instructions vary by brand, but they are usually as follows:
* Soak the dried noodles in tap water for 30 minutes for a better texture, but you can skip this step without noticing too much of a difference.
* Cook the noodles in boiling water until they are al dente, i.e. cooked but with still a bite. The timing will vary depending on the thickness of the noodles. Thin vermicelli noodles might only need 1 minute, whilst thick vermicelli noodles might need up to 12 minutes. The noodles need to be slightly undercooked because they will finish cooking in the hot broth later.
* Rinse and drain the noodles under cold water.
* Portion the noodles while they are still wet as they are easier to handle at this stage. - OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.