Whenever I’m asked โwhatโs the one food youโd choose to have with you on a deserted island,โ my answer is always โsome sort of Asian noodle soup.โ Okay, so thatโs cheating a bit, but this is an arbitrary question to begin with.
Anywho, this Malaysian Curry Noodle Soup perfectly fits the bill. Itโs a rich, curry-meets-noodle-soup hybrid that hits all the best notes: super savory, spicy, a little tart and sweet, rich and brothy, creamy but not heavyโฆare you getting the picture?
And Iโm extra delighted because Iโve been saving this recipe for YEARS. I first developed this recipe in early 2021 (seriously, itโs been years) but had to sit on it because I knew I wanted to include it in my second cookbook.
Suffice to say, I am so thrilled that this book, Big Vegan Flavor, is nearly here! This recipe is part of the โwow-worthy dinnersโ chapter of the book, where youโll find exciting, big flavor dinners from noodle soups to curries to stir fries and carby things.
Bonus Content (limited time only!)
You still have a small window to preorder the cookbook before it officially drops on September 3!
If youโre wondering why you should pre-order, there are two main reasons:
(1) Iโve created an incredible package of exclusive bonus content as a thank you for folks who preorder! You can read more about whatโs inside the book and all the bonus goodies on this page.
(2) Pre-orders are incredibly important for authorsโthey let bookshops, retailers, and even the press know that there’s a lot of excitement about a book. This, in turn, ensures that the book gets stocked on shelves and gets covered by the media. So pre-ordering Big Vegan Flavor is the best way to support my work ๐ฅน
Table of Contents:
1. What is curry laksa?
2. Video: How to make this soup
3. Why youโll love this recipe
4. Ingredient notes
5. Tips for making this recipe
6. Frequently Asked Questions
7. Recipe card with notes
Video: How to make this noodle soup
I had so much fun making this recipe on my dear friend Sadia’s YouTube channel. Check it out!
the ultimate CURRY NOODLE SOUP (ft.@RainbowPlantLife)
What is curry laksa?
Malaysia is home to many varieties of laksas. Some of these spicy noodle soups are tart and brothy, while others are rich and have more of a creamy base. My version is inspired by the latter and is often called curry laksa, laksa lemak, or curry mee, depending on the region (variations of this dish are also popular in Singapore).
Curry laska is a rich noodle soup with lots of warming spices, a coconut milk broth, and airy tofu puffs that soak up so much flavor.
Most traditional versions include fish products and sometimes meat, but my version makes a few creative swaps for a big flavor recipe that wonโt make you miss the meat/fish.
Why youโll love this recipe
You get the best of both (okay, a few) worlds
Southeast Asian flavors are on full displayโcitrusy lemongrass, cooling and piney galangal, that trademark sweet-tart pairing of lime and sugar.
But Chinese and Indian flavors also get blended into the mix, a nod to Malaysiaโs multicultural cuisine. Soy sauce seasons the broth and laksa paste with deep savoriness, while cumin, coriander, and curry leaves add delightfully warm Indian flavors.
The result is the kind of soup that will make you tell your friends โyou absolutely have to try this.โ
Thereโs nothing quite like homemade curry paste
Although Iโm not here to hate on store-bought curry paste, there are three reasons why this recipe has you spend a little extra time to make your own laksa paste.
First, store-bought laksa paste, especially a vegan one, is hard to find unless you have easy access to Malaysian groceries.
Second, making your own curry paste will undoubtedly take your cooking skills up a notch or two (any time I whip up my homemade Thai green curry paste, I end up feeling more confident in my skills).
Most importantly, though: The flavors are unmatched when you make curry paste yourselfโit’s so fresh and fragrant, zingy, and savory. Plus, you can tailor the spice level to your needs.
Itโs not as complicated as it sounds
I will be the first one to admit that the ingredient list in this recipe is long. But, for one, if you look at any traditional laksa recipe that’s not watered down, a long ingredient list is typical. That’s because making a great curry paste requires a variety of herbs, spices, and aromatics.
And two, achieving a rich depth of flavor that tastes like itโs been simmering for hours (without actually simmering for hours and without using animal products)โฆrequires a fair number ingredients.
That said, the actual making of the recipe is pretty straightforward.
The laksa paste gets blended in a food processor (Authentic? No. Quick? Yes). And the homemade broth needs just 3 to 4 ingredients and simmers for just 10 minutes.
From there, you just sautรฉ the laksa paste, add the broth and simmer with a few other ingredients, and finally pair with simply cooked noodles.
And the result is a complex, layered dish that will absolutely wow your tastebuds.
PS: Want tips for meal prepping this soup to make it easier during the week? Jump to the Tips section!
Ingredient notes
I recommend visiting your local Asian grocery store to find many of these ingredients! If you have an H Mart or similar store near you, you can find all the listed ingredients there (except for the curry leaves).
Kombu and wakame
Many traditional laksa broths are made with shrimp (or chicken), so we need a fair amount of umami from plant-based sources.
My broth uses two types of seaweed: kombu, which is a type of kelp, and wakame (the latter is optional). Bonus: seaweed is an incredible source of vitamins and minerals, including iodine.
You can find kombu at most Asian grocery stores and well-stocked regular grocery stores like Whole Foods. Kombu is very rich in umami since itโs naturally packed with glutamic acid, the amino acid behind umami. Wakame is a milder seaweed that adds additional salty sea-like notes but is optional.
Substitute: If you cannot find wakame or donโt want to purchase it, simply omit it OR replace it with a few dried shiitake mushrooms. Kombu + shiitakes = total umami bomb.
Chinese light soy sauce
Soy sauce deeply and thoroughly seasons every spoonful of this soup, both in the broth and the laksa paste.
Substitute: Canโt find Chinese light soy sauce? Standard supermarket soy sauce works too, but youโll need more of it since it’s less intense. See the recipe card for details.
Chile peppers
You canโt have curry paste without chili peppers! In my recipe, I use fresh Thai chile peppers, but use whatโs available to you.
Substitute: Any dried red chiles will do the trick, but you’ll want to rehydrate them by soaking in hot water for 15 minutes. Or you can try a fresh Fresno pepper, jalapeรฑo, or serrano pepper. Start with ยฝ of a pepper and then add more as desired.
Spice level note: If you like things big spicy, use 4 or more fresh Thai chiles in the laksa paste, and garnish your soup with a thinly sliced pepper or two. To keep things mild, use three dried red chiles in the paste.
Lemongrass
The aroma and flavor of lemongrass are indescribable (beyond โit makes every spoonful taste more interesting”). Lemongrass is sold at well-stocked supermarkets like Whole Foods, and of course Southeast Asian grocers and larger pan-Asian grocers.
Tip: Intimidated by lemongrass? Not to worry! There are step-by-step photos on how to prep lemongrass in my cookbook, Big Vegan Flavor!
PLUS inside the book, you’ll get access to a website that contains 20 instructional cooking videos on topics y’all have asked questions about, like how to prep lemongrass, how to prep fennel, how to toast whole spices, how to cook with cast iron, etc.
Galangal
Commonly confused with ginger, galangal is actually quite the opposite. While ginger is spicy and warming, galangal is cooling and smells like a pine forest.
Galangal is an essential aromatic in Southeast Asian cooking and used in both Thai curry paste and Malaysian laksa paste. Find it at Southeast Asian grocers and larger pan-Asian grocers.
Substitute: Despite their differences, you can use ginger instead and it will still be delicious.
Tip: Galangal usually has a tough exterior, so break out your sharpest knife to lob off any hard knobs. I like to thinly slice it into matchsticks so it blends more easily in the food processor.
Cashews
Candlenuts are traditionally added to a laksa paste for a bit of creaminess, but good luck finding those! I use roasted cashews for a similar effect (you need just 2 tablespoons).Fresh curry leaves
If you have a local Indian grocery store, youโll find one of the greatest ingredients there: fresh curry leaves. They add a subtle but delightful Indian twist to this soup.
Substitute: There is no good substitute for curry leaves, so simply omit if not available or if you don’t feel like making a trip to the Indian grocery store. This soup is still delicious without them!
Fried tofu puffs
This is simply tofu that has been fried, but it has a uniquely spongy, airy, and porous texture. This texture makes them the perfect vessel for soaking up all the flavor in a brothy soup.
Tip: These are sold in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores (sometimes the freezer section). They may be called โfried tofu puffs,โ โtofu puffsโ or โsoy puffs.โ
If the puffs are very large, tear them in half before adding to the soup. That way theyโre more bite-sized and soak up even more flavor.
Substitute: If you canโt find these, I recommend baking your own tofu or frying your own tofu, though it wonโt have the same slurpable texture.
Tips for making this recipe
Split the dish into four components and prep ahead
This dish feels easier to conquer when you think of it being split into four components, two of which you can make ahead of time!
The four components: (1) the broth, (2) the laksa paste, (3) the ingredients that go into the soup (this includes the broth, laksa paste, plus a few additional ingredients), and (4) the soup toppings.
How to meal prep this recipe
- Take out all the ingredients for the Broth and the Laksa Paste.
- Start on the Broth. Since the water will take some time to come to a simmer, you can prep the Laksa Paste ingredients in the meantime.
- While the Broth simmers for 10 minutes, finish making the Laksa Paste in your food processor.
- Strain the Broth.
- Store the Broth and Laksa Paste separately in airtight containers in the fridge for about 5 days.
- Come Tuesday night, you can get a gourmet meal on the table in 30 minutes!
Shop beyond your usual grocery store
For this recipe, youโll likely need to visit a Southeast Asian market or a large pan-Asian store like H Mart (and an Indian grocery store if you want to use the fresh curry leaves). These stores are home to key laksa ingredients you wonโt find in a standard grocery store.
Of course, you can order just about any ingredient online these days, but itโs obviously harder to order fresh ingredients like lemongrass or fresh chiles online.
Chop the tough aromatics before blending
Even with a food processor, it helps to chop the laksa paste ingredients before adding them to the food processor, especially for tough ingredients (e.g., lemongrass and galangal).
And youโll want to scrape down the sides of your food processor as you go along in order to get the smoothest possible consistency. The texture will never be that smooth, but I don’t think thatโs a problem. Actually, itโs a nice reminder that this is homemade!
Taste the soup as you go
We all have different taste preferences, so taste-test along the way to get things just to your liking.
Feeling too spicy? Feel free to add a bit more coconut milk and more lime juice. Too sour? Add a bit more sugar. Not savory enough? Finish with a few dashes of soy sauce.
Get creative with the toppings
Like a lot of Asian noodle soups (think phแป or ramen), you can get really creative with the toppings here. The recipe card provides my favorite options, but feel free to use your imagination!
PS: My two favorite toppings are (1) Chinese chili crisp and (2) fried shallots, both of which you can purchase at the storeโฆ.but there are also homemade versions of these condiments in Big Vegan Flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you can handle peanuts, you can use roasted peanuts in place of cashews.
For a nut-free take on this dish, try 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of full-fat coconut milk, and add more as needed to bring the laksa paste together.ย You likely will not need to add the oil to the laksa paste if using coconut milk.
Sure, with a few adjustments.
(1) Use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce instead of Chinese light soy sauce. You will need to use the larger amount of tamari listed in the recipe card notes, instead of the amount in the recipe card itself.
(2) Use rice noodles instead of wheat noodles. I recommend a medium thickness of noodle, like this (affiliate link).
Yes and yes! See the first part of the โTips for making this recipeโ section above to learn how.
TL;DR: You can make the broth and the laksa paste several days ahead of time.
Yes, this meal is freezer-friendly, with one key caveat: Donโt freeze the noodles. Otherwise, if you have leftovers after eating, the soup minus noodles can go right into your freezer in an airtight container. It should last three to four months.
You can also make a double batch of the laksa paste and freeze it for three months. Simply defrost it in the fridge before using.ย
You can store leftover assembled soup in the fridge for about 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stove over medium or medium-low heat for the best texture.
I hope youโll love this Malaysian Curry Noodle Soup recipe from my new cookbook Big Vegan Flavor! To everyone who has already pre-ordered, THANK YOU!! Yโall are making my dreams come true.
Already ordered? Please visit this page for instructions on accessing your preorder bonus content!
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Malaysian Curry Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Broth
- 3 sheets (about 12g) kombu (see Note 1)
- 3 tablespoons (50g) Chinese light soy sauce (see Note 2)
- 1 tablespoon wakame seaweed (optional)
- 1 lime
Laksa Paste
- 1 ยฝ teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 medium shallots roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2- inch (5cm piece) galangal, very thinly sliced (see Note 3)
- 1- inch (2.5cm) piece fresh turmeric, peeled + rough chop (or ยพ tsp ground turmeric)
- 1 to 4 fresh Thai chiles, stemmed (see Note 4)
- 2 stalks lemongrass, smashed and finely chopped (see Note 5)
- 2 tablespoons (25g) roasted cashews (or peanuts)
- 1 tablespoon Chinese light soy sauce
- 1 small handful (5g) fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1 lime: 1 teaspoon zest + 2 teaspoons juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil of choice (or water)
Soup
- 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil of choice
- 8 ounces (227g) oyster mushrooms, torn into strips (see Note 6)
- Sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 (13.5-ounce/400ml) can full-fat coconut milk
- 5 to 10 fresh curry leaves (or 10 to 15 dried curry leaves; optional) (see Note 7)
- 1 (8-ounce/227g) package fried tofu puffs or soy puffs
- 1 to 2 teaspoons coconut sugar or brown sugar, more as needed
- 6 to 8 oz (170 to 230g) dried ramen noodles OR 10 oz (285g) fresh noodles of choice
- 1 to 2 limes
Optional Toppings
- Fresh mint leaves, cilantro, and/or Thai basil leaves
- Thai chiles, thinly sliced (for spicy!)
- Bean sprouts
- Chinese chili oil / chili crisp
Instructions
- Make the broth. Cut a few slits in the kombu to release the flavor. In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, bring 5 cups of water (1.2 L), the kombu, wakame (if using), and soy sauce to a simmer. Gently simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice. The broth should taste like the sea.a. Fit a medium or large bowl underneath a colander and strain the broth, discarding the kombu and wakame.
- Optional – toast the whole spices. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the coriander and cumin seeds. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until aromatic and a few shades darker. Remove from the heat to prevent burning.
- Make the laksa paste. In a food processor or small-capacity high-powered blender (a 32 ounce/1 L or smaller blender cup), add the coriander and cumin seeds, shallots, garlic, galangal (or ginger), turmeric, chile peppers, lemongrass, cashews or peanuts, soy sauce, cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice. Blend until a paste forms, stopping to scrape down the sides as you go.a. Add the oil (or water) gradually, 1 tablespoon at a time, until a paste comes together (it wonโt be completely smooth but try to get it as smooth as you can).b. Tip: Donโt stick your eyeballs directly over the blender or theyโll water!
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the 2 tablespoons oil over medium-low heat. After several minutes / once the pan is hot, add the Laksa Paste and cook, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until it just starts to dry out, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Pour in the Broth, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the mushrooms, ยผ teaspoon sea salt, and the leftover lemongrass stalks (if using; see Ingredient Notes). Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer rapidly for 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to discard the whole lemongrass pieces, if used. Add the coconut milk, curry leaves, and tofu puffs. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasonings, adding a few dashes of soy sauce or salt as needed. Taste, adding the sugar to taste.
- While the soup simmers, cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain and keep warm.
- Assemble. Divide the noodles among four bowls. Ladle hot curry on top and add desired garnishes. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top. Add optional toppings.
Notes
- Kombu is a type of kelp and is sold at well-stocked grocery stores and Asian grocers. Wakame is another type of seaweed, though optional so feel free to omit or substitute with a couple dried shiitake mushrooms.
- Donโt have Chinese soy sauce? Use 1/4 cup (68 g) standard supermarket soy sauce (or tamari) in the Broth. And use 1 ยฝ tablespoons of it in the laksa paste.
- Galangal is sold at Southeast Asian & larger Asian grocers; use ginger if not available. It can have a hard exterior, so use a sharp knife and cut off any hard knobs. No need to peel it as long as you slice it very thinly.
- Chile peppers. For spicy: Use 4 fresh chiles in the laksa paste and garnish with 1 to 2 thinly sliced peppers. If not available, use ยฝ to 2 serrano or jalapeรฑos depending on spice preference. For mild heat, use ~ 3 dried red chile peppers in the laksa paste but soak them in hot water for 15 minutes first to rehydrate (makes it easier to blend).ย
- Lemongrass: First, chop off the top tough parts of the lemongrass and the bottom root, then peel the papery outer layers until you reach the tender inner core. If you have a rolling pin or mallet, smash down on it to open up the aroma; then finely chop it. With the tough unused stalks, you can smash down on them as well, then add them to the soup in step 5 (discard before using).ย
- Not a fan of mushrooms? Replace with snap peas, snow peas, or chopped baby bok choy and add in step 6 along with the tofu puffs.
- Fresh curry leaves: Sold at Indian/South Asian grocers. Omit if not available.
I’ve loved every recipe I’ve tried from Nisha until now, but this one was simply not to my taste. It may be a great recipe and true to its roots (I’m not sure, I’ve never had a Malaysian curry soup before), but I personally just didn’t like this combo of flavors, leading me to toss the rest. I’m still excited about Big Vegan Flavor! And appreciative of all the work that goes into testing these recipes.
Hi Tammy, sorry to hear this recipe wasn’t for you but we appreciate your feedback nonetheless. We hope you’re enjoying BVF!
This was delicious! It took an hour and a half with help from my 5 year old :) We have extra curry paste that I am looking forward to using. I may freeze some. The changes we made are: onion instead of shallots, no curry leaves, ginger instead of galangal, and we fried our own tofu. The flavor was so different before and after adding the coconut sugar, it really balanced the flavors. I love that we were able to make something so delicious! Thank you Nisha!
Thanks for sharing, Breanna! We’re delighted you are such a fan of the recipe. Cheers :)
Absolutely incredible ! Found all of the ingredients at my local asian grocery store and they were not expensive at all. Seeing as this is a Malaysian dish, it makes sense that the ingredients cannot be bought at a ‘regular’ grocery store, and I appreciate that Nisha kept these ingredients authentic because the flavors are incredible and complex. While this recipe seems complex, it actually was very doable and the effort was well worth the payoff. Not surprising, Nisha killed it again with this one. Cannot wait for the cookbook !
Thanks for the kind words, Paige! We hope you’re loving Big Vegan Flavor :)
Wow, this soup is AMAZING! My 15 year old daughter and I make dinner together every Tuesday and as soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it would be right up her alley as she loves all things โcurry.โ We really enjoyed making it and the opportunity to work with lots of new ingredients. Thanks for this fantastic recipe! Cannot wait to receive your new cookbook!
Aw, what a sweet weekly tradition, Krystal! :) Happy to hear this recipe was a hit and we hope you’re loving the cookbook!
i’m so glad i saw the youtube video on pickuplimes channel for this recipe b/c i don’t think i would have had the confidence to make it w/o a video. it ended up being pretty straightforward to make and the flavor worked my world. i kept saying to my boyfriend btw slurps “omg this is so good.” btw i used ginger not galangal and ground turmeric not fresh. amazing.
We’re over the moon to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Amalaia. Thanks for your kind words!
I was super excited to try a recipe from your cook-book, Nisha, and this turned out great!
I did have to substitute a few things – ginger instead of galangal, and dried seaweed sheets for the kombu and wakame, and I was skeptical it would give the broth a fishy flavour, but it actually did!
It was very satisfying making a curry paste from scratch with basic but wholesome ingredients, rather than from a supermarket bottle.
I’ve been following you for years, and I am super excited to get Big Vegan Flavour!!!
Hi Stacy, thank you so much for your kind review! It’s awesome to hear you enjoyed this teaser recipe from BVF and hope you’re enjoying the rest as well! :)
Second meal of yours I made this week and the whole family is pleased. No overjoyed! The flavors of this dish just sing! My daughter helped me with the curry paste and we had so much fun cooking together. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
So lovely to hear you were able to have a bonding moment making this dish with your daughter, Deidre! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a sweet review!
Made this yesterday and am happily slurping up the leftovers for dinner again tonight. Had to take a pause from inhaling it to write a review because it is OUTSTANDING. So flavorful and oh my those tofu puffs, I am in heaven.
Hi Jocelyn, thank you so much for your kind review!
I almost didnโt make this because I was missing a few ingredients but Iโm so glad I still did. Absolutely spectacular. Will be saving this one for many future occasions!
Hi Cherise, it’s great to hear you had success with the recipe. Thanks for the review!
This was outstanding! I have not had a good laksa since I went vegan and it absolutely hit the spot.
Per the blog post, I made the curry paste and the broth ahead of time on Sunday afternoon. I’m glad I did, because it was fairly easy to make the rest of the recipe on Tuesday. My family loved it (even my picky teenage children somewhat-vegan-skeptical husband) and requested I make it again soon. Bravo, Nisha — I can’t wait for your book to arrive.
Jean, Thank you for your thoughtful review! Weโre so happy to hear that you enjoyed the curry noodle soup… and we hope you’re loving the cookbook too!
I took your advice to make the curry paste ahead of time and it came together easier than I expected. What a treat! The aromas alone were unbelievable. The soup was polished off immediately. Oh, and I used ginger instead of galangal and skipped the curry leaves. Still AMAZING!
Thanks for the amazing review, Verena! We are thrilled you’re such a fan of the recipe :)
This is freaking delicious. Just made it yesterday and it’s so worth the effort. It’s a little bit more work than I would normaly cook on a weekday, but this pays back in flavour!! This will be in my recipe rotation!
Hi Marguerite, Thank you so much for such a fantastic review! Appreciate you taking the time!
Laksa is my favorite Singaporean/Malaysian food and I’ve tried many of them while traveling there. First of all, the dish is to enjoy seafood taste and I believe it’s very difficult to make that deep taste with only plants. This recipe is quite far from the laksa that I know and the taste too light(it was rather Asam Laksa). At least, it was better to add some Miso(to replaces shrimp miso)instead to use all soy sauce.
It is not fair negative review never go through
This was sooo yummy and worth going to a few grocery stores to find the galangal, kombu, lemongrass, and fresh tumeric. It wasn’t that expensive, just had to get to the right store that had all the things! I could not find soy puffs, so I used soy curls instead – it was delicious. They did absorb a lot of moisture, though.
I wasn’t able to find the Chinese light soy sauce so used regular as directed in the note. Also used a white onion instead of 3 shallots cause I forgot to get the shallots, but it was still amazing. Same with using a lemon instead of a lime.
This was really fun and it made me feel more confident in cooking recipes with a lot of ingredients/steps <3
Thank you Nisha!!
Your positive feedback is the best reward for our hard work. So happy you loved the recipe. Thank you, Jane!
I’d really like to try this recipe, but where can I buy “fried tofu puffs/soy puffs” in the Netherlands? I already checked the Amazing Oriental website and couldn’t find it. I know you were in the Netherlands recently, so where did you buy it? Thank you
Hi Sharon, thanks for reaching out! I found them at the Asian supermarket in Eindhoven – I believe it was the Amazing Oriental shop, but in person. Perhaps their website isn’t fully updated?
That’s absolutely possible. I will go to the store and check it out. Thanks.
do you have approximate weights for the galangal, turmeric and shallot? iโve really appreciated having weights in your recipes, so i was surprised not to see them here. galangal varies in diameter, so a 2 inch piece could cover a range of weight depending on thickness. thanks, really looking forward to this one.
Hi Kathy, sorry we donโt have approximate weights for these aromatics. Just donโt use the widest piece of galangal and youโll be just fine. You can also start with a smaller amount, taste the curry paste (just a tad, itโs spicy), and add more if you prefer. Enjoy this delicious recipe!
I love your recipes but sometimes the ingredients are too expensive and your have to shop at many different stores. I cook for just myself and Iโm semi retired so I have a budget I need to respect. Maybe you can develop recipes for people like me. Thank you ๐๐ฝ much love.
Robin.
I agree. Lately, every single recipie has the most bougie ingredients lol. I couldnโt possibly make any of the recipes without substituting or omitting or going on day long grocery runs.
“Lately, every single recipie has the most bougie ingredients”
Just because *you* don’t use some ingredients does not mean they’re bougie. These ingredients are commonly used in East Asian households and available at Asian markets like HMart.
And if you don’t want to venture into an unfamiliar grocery store, plenty of Nisha’s recent recipes don’t require that. The lentil tacos, the chickpea soup, the french toast (literally three of the last five recipes Nisha released before this one) have ingredients you can get at a “regular” grocery store.
You can also look at her YouTube channel. She’s released some exclusive recipes there (her recent what I eat in a week video recently and her spring meals video, among others) so you can look there, too.
I personally like that Nisha releases recipes with lots of flavor that aren’t white-washed; there are lots of other bloggers that don’t.
Honestly, youโre completely right. Iโm Ethiopian and we cook with so many wonderful ingredients you have to search just a bit far and wide to find. But that doesnโt mean we shouldnโt cook with them or even expose other people to them. ๐
It can be frustrating to not find all ingredients.
However, there are so many recipe developers that limit ingredients to what can be found in normal grocery stores, so I think it is nice to find recipes that allow us to use normal ingredients from international stores also. I live in a town with 130 000 inhabitants and there are a few international grocery stores here. As long as we are given possible substitutions (which we normally are), I really enjoy these recipes.
100/10 Would make and eat again anytime.
I made this today with a few changes for missing ingredients but it’s excellent already.
Awesome, Lena. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I made this yesterday and it is absolutely delicious! It is very flavorful and you can jazz it up with a variety of toppings. I added some Enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts, bok choy and green onion. Iโll definitely make this recipe again!
Those sound like some lovely additions, Debby! So happy you loved the recipe.
Headed to HMart yesterday to get the ingredients after watching your lovely video with Sadia and I’m so glad I did. This dish is a home run!
This is better than any laksa I’ve gotten from a restaurant. I just made it for myself and my husband (he also loved it) and now I can’t wait to make it for guests. It’s so savory and flavorful. Thank you, Nisha!
Your review made our day, Jamie! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and for trying out the recipe.
I’ll have to try this recipe myself very soon!