If you are a spicy food lover, this Curry Laksa or Curry Mee (咖喱叻沙, Gālí lè shā) is for you. Each bite is full of fragrant spices from the sambal with a touch of creaminess from the coconut milk.
Curry Laksa or Curry Mee is a very popular and delicious noodle soup that I loved to have for breakfast or lunch growing up. This dish often has a variety of noodles to choose from including flat rice noodles, vermicelli, or yellow noodles.
Curry Laksa is a more common name around Kuala Lumpur or any Southern part of Malaysia while Northern Malaysia refers to it as Curry Mee. Although this may look similar to Thai red curry, this is different in terms of taste and ingredients.
There are few key ingredients that I love to add to complete my Curry Laksa bowl: tofu puffs, mung bean sprouts, and assorted vegetables. Tofu puffs are fried tofu that has a golden outer skin with a spongey white layer inside. These tofu puffs are a perfect absorber of the soup which is why I always ask for an extra portion when ordering.
Other vegetables include long beans, eggplant, shredded mushrooms, and fu juk (fried bean curd). Ingredients vary from store to store and this dish is not normally vegetarian/vegan friendly. So, a homemade version is always the best idea. Let’s see how this is made with the step-by-step below.
How to make Curry Laksa Mee
Today, I’m sharing a simpler version of Curry Laksa in which I used the Easy Vegan Sambal or you can use store-bought Malaysian Curry Laksa paste.
Toppings
Start by prepping the topping ingredients. I used King Oyster mushrooms, eggplant, tofu puffs, long beans, Yuchoy, bean sprouts, and homemade wontons.
Simply sauté mushrooms in oil until aromatic and to draw out the moisture.
Then, fry the eggplant for about 45 seconds and drain them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Crispy wontons add an amazing crunch to this curry laksa. I filled my homemade wontons with sautéed chopped cabbage and carrots then I seasoned it with salt and white pepper. Using the same pot used to fry the eggplant, fry the wontons until golden brown, then drain them as well.
The wonton recipe is similar to my Vegan Wonton in Chile Oil.
How to make the curry
To make the curry, add the desired amount of sambal paste in a heated non-stick pan. I used this Easy Vegan Sambal which is not as spicy compared to store-bought.
Add in vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Add the tofu puffs, coconut milk, and season accordingly. If you have curry leaves, add them in as well to give the curry an amazing aromatic flavor.
Vegetable Stock 
Coconut milk 
How to serve
Now that you have successfully made the broth, it’s time to put it all together. Feel free to use noodles of your choice such as vermicelli, flat rice noodles, shirataki, or yellow noodles.
Blanch bean sprouts, long beans, and YuChoy (Choy Sum) in boiling water for a minute, then set aside. Then, cook the noodles of choice as directed.
Place noodles and blanched vegetables in a bowl, and ladle curry over, then top with fried wonton. Serve with more sambal and a squeeze of lime juice for a delicious meal.
Curry Laksa Mee Tips
Toppings – As mentioned above, the toppings are quite flexible. So use a variety of mushrooms and vegetables of your choice. Some of the most common toppings include long beans, tofu puffs, eggplant, fried bean curd stick, and mung bean sprouts.
Sambal – Store-bought or homemade sambal is perfect for this recipe. When you shop for the Malaysian sambal paste, be sure to check the ingredients as most will have shrimp paste.
Vegetable stock – I normally like to make my own stock but when I am in a time crunch, I’ll season my stock with an umami seasoning. Since the stock is one of the main ingredients of this dish, use your favorite broth or stock.
Coconut milk – Freshly squeezed coconut milk is the best but it’s not easily accessible for me so I like to use canned coconut milk. Look for brands that contain at least 60% coconut extract with no preservatives.
This Curry Laksa Mee is
- Spicy
- Flavorful
- Vegan
- Easily customizable
- and Delicious!
If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!
Curry Laksa Mee ‘咖喱叻沙’
Ingredients
- 3 servings noodles of choice used ramen
- 4 tablespoons of homemade sambal or Malaysian Curry Laksa paste
- 1 can 14oz [400ml] coconut milk
- 6 cups water + 4 tablespoons Umami seasoning
- a handful of curry leaves
- lime wedges
- oil for cooking
- salt to taste
Toppings
- 10 fried tofu puffs cut into half
- 1 small Japanese eggplant cut into 2″ matchstick
- 8 oz King Oyster mushrooms tear into pieces
- 1 cup veggie of choice used bean sprouts, long beans, and YuChoy
Wonton
- 15 wonton wrappers
- 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage
- 1 small carrot shredded
- salt and oil for cooking
Instructions
Prepare the toppings
- To make the wontons, sauté cabbage and carrot in 1/2 tablespoon oil until soft and season with salt and white pepper. Drain out all the liquid, if any.
- Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper and pleat to seal. These can be prepped ahead of time but be sure they are covered to prevent them from drying out.
- Heat a non-stick pan with a drizzle of oil and lightly pan-fry mushrooms until aromatic and season with a pinch of salt, then transfer to a bowl.
- Fill a small tall pot with oil (about halfway) and turn on the heat. Once the oil is heated to about 300°F (150°C), fry eggplant for about a minute or so, remove and drain them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Then, slowly place in the wontons. Fry until the wonton skin starts to turn yellowish, especially the part with filling. Remove and drain them on a paper towel as well.
How to make the curry
- Add about 4 tablespoons of sambal to a heated pan or pot (deep enough for at least 10 cups of liquid) and gradually add in the stock. Adjust the amount of sambal based on your preferred spicy level.
- Cover the pan with a lid and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Add in the coconut milk, tofu puffs, and curry leaves.
- Cook the mixture for about 5 minutes and season to your preference. Then, add the eggplant back into the curry and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
How to serve
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and quickly blanch mung bean sprouts, long beans, and YuChoy, then transfer to a bowl. Using the same pot, cook noodles as directed.
- Place cooked noodles in a bowl along with blanched vegetables. Ladle hot curry over and top with fried wontons.
- Serve warm with more sambal and a squeeze of lime juice.
Video
Feel free to pin the below picture on your Pinterest Board for easy reference.
Do you have a suggestion for vegan laksa paste please? All the laksa paste I can find are not vegan. Thank you.
Hi there, not sure where are you located but there is a Ayam Brand Malaysian Curry Laksa that has no shrimp paste. Hope you can find it. I also love to use homemade sambal if possible. Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions at all. Best, WoonHeng
This is the most authentic vegan curry laksa recipe that I have come across. There are many recipes out there but this is the best that I have tried. So delicious and remind me of Malaysia. Thank you so much
Thanks so much, so glad you loved the recipe. Happy cooking!
Yet another fabulous recipe 😍
I made the Sambal (so awsome to have a jar of this goodness in my fridge now!) and the curry Laksa Mee, it was superb! Your recipes are inspired ⭐
I even made wonton wrappers from scratch 😋
My spouse said this was the best curry he tasted so far.
The heat and spiciness was challenging for me, but so delicious I couldn’t stop slurping it all into my tummy!! (With watery eyes and eyebrows 😆😆😆)
Thank you for this ❤🧡💛 in these difficult times.. these dishes are our personal moral boosters 😊
Oh my, your comment always made my day. Thank you so so much for your feedback and I’m so happy to hear that you and your spouse loved this recipe. Yay!! I normally with watery eyes when eating spicy food too, but still love it. LOL! Best wishes to you and stay safe! Best, WoonHeng
Can you share your home made sambal recipe? Thank you
Hey Arely, thanks for your interest. You can search it under Cooking Essentials or here is the link: https://woonheng.com/easy-vegan-sambal/ let me know if you need anything else.
Best,
WoonHeng