Laksa is a popular noodle soup in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. This is a very comforting dish, coconut milk makes it creamy and the spices added makes this dish flavorful. I’d made a similar dish called Khow Suey, which is a Burmese speciality. I am sure that these two dishes are related as most of the ingredients used and the preparation are the same. Laksa can be made with chicken, shrimp or fish, I opted for chicken. Made with simple ingredients, it’s easy to make and the coconut milk added made it even more delicious. Most importantly, it’s a comforting dish and you feel better after having a bowl of this soup.
- Chicken breasts, diced- 2 breasts
- Oil- 1½ tbsp
- Whole cardamom- 2
- Whole cloves- 2
- Bay leaves- 2
- Onion, chopped- 1, large
- Ginger-Garlic paste- ½ tbsp
- Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Ground pepper- ¼ tsp
- Salt- to taste
- Chicken stock- 1 cup (or use 1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup water)
- Green pepper, diced- 1
- Coconut Milk- 1 cup
- Garam masala- ½ tsp
- Lemon juice- 2 tsp
- Cilantro, chopped- 1 handful (optional)
- Vermicelli Noodles or Rice Noodles
- Place a large non-stick pan or saucepan over medium heat.
- Add oil, when it turns hot add whole cardamom, cloves and bay leaves; saute for a few seconds till aromatic.
- Add onion, sprinkle a few pinches of salt, saute till onions turns translucent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, saute for a few minutes.
- Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and ground pepper, saute for a few seconds.
- Add the chicken stock, combine well.
- Add chicken and cook covered till chicken has half cooked.
- Open the lid, add green pepper and coconut milk, cook covered till chicken has cooked well for 10 minutes.
- Add garam masala, combine well and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Finally, stir in lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
- Remove from the heat and keep it covered.
- Cook vermicelli or rice noodles in hot water till it turns tender.
- While serving, place some noodles on the bowl and add the chicken soup over the top of it.
- Serve warm and enjoy it.