Easy Curry Laksa

Many of my early dates with my spouse involved Singaporean-style curry laksa, so this dish - although not quite the same - holds a special place in our hearts. I have combined Woks of Life's lovely laksa recipe with Marion's more Thai-oriented version as I like to multipurpose ingredients rather than having twenty jars of different curry pastes on hand. I've also done some simplifying to reflect the other ingredients we generally have on hand in our currently North American-based pantry. Laksa is an amazingly delicious dish, so whether you try my adaptation below or the original recipes, you must give one of them a try, you won't regret it!

Easy Curry Laksa

(4 servings)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (divided*)

5 cloves of garlic (crushed/minced)

2 tablespoons of Thai red curry paste

2 tablespoons of curry powder

1/2 tablespoon of Thai shrimp paste**

1 teaspoon of powdered ginger

400ml / 13.5oz of coconut milk

4 cups of stock

1 stalk of bruised lemongrass (optional)

56g / 2oz of palm sugar (crumbled or chopped)

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

1 lime (juiced)

2 or 3 makrut lime leaves (optional)

12 tofu puffs (halved or quartered)

12 large shrimp (with heads on***)

Cooked rice noodles (optional)

Beans sprouts (optional)

Fresh cilantro (to garnish)

*Divide into two equal parts only if you're using head-on shrimp.

**If head-on shrimp aren't unavailable or are too much of a hassle.

***If not using shrimp paste. Otherwise shelled, headless shrimp are fine.

Directions

1) If using whole, head-on shrimp, pour half the oil into a wok or large pan and sauté the shrimp over medium heat until both sides are browned. Remove the shrimp, being sure to drain the heads into the pan before de-shelling, setting the shrimp aside, and adding the remaining oil to the pan to deglaze.

2) If using shrimp paste, then put all the oil into a wok or pan over medium heat.

3) Once the oil is hot after steps 1 or 2, add the garlic and sauté the garlic for a minute or two.

4) Add the curry paste, curry powder, shrimp paste (if using), and ginger to the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning.

5) Pour the coconut milk into the pan to deglaze, then add the stock of your choice, palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and makrut lime leaves and bring everything to a boil before reducing to a simmer.

6) After 5 or 10 minutes add the tofu puffs and shrimp to the pan, cooking to your desired tenderness if they weren't already sautéed in step 1.

7) At this point you can serve as is or - even better - with some rice noodles, bean sprouts, or any other toppings or garnishes you think would work well. I like to freeze servings of just the broth and shrimp for easy meals during the week as well, but whatever you do, enjoy!