Laksa King's curry laksa in Flemington is the city's reference version: a rich coconut and lemongrass broth loaded with tofu puffs, chicken, noodles and sambal from a Malaysian canteen running since 1998.

Laksa King opened on Racecourse Road in Flemington in 1998 as a Malaysian-Chinese canteen catering to the growing Southeast Asian population around Footscray and the western suburbs. The curry laksa, the Penang and Kuala Lumpur cousin of Singaporean katong laksa, is built on a heavily spiced rempah paste of dried chilli, candlenut, lemongrass, galangal and belacan, finished with coconut milk and ladled over a mix of rice and egg noodles. The Laksa King version is heavier on the seafood-belacan funk than most Melbourne competitors and made the dish a citywide pilgrimage from the early 2010s. Travel guides routinely call it Australia's best laksa.

Where to eat Curry Laksa at Laksa King in Melbourne

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Make it at home

Serves 41 hr 30 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • For the rempah paste: 15 dried chillies (soaked, deseeded)
  • 8 shallots
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 4cm fresh ginger
  • 4cm galangal
  • 4 lemongrass stalks (white only)
  • 6 candlenuts (or macadamias)
  • 1 tbsp belacan shrimp paste
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 100ml peanut oil
  • 1.5L good chicken stock
  • 400ml full-fat coconut milk and 200ml coconut cream
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar (gula melaka), shaved
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 300g chicken thigh fillet, sliced
  • 12 raw king prawns, peeled with tails on
  • 200g fried tofu puffs (tau pok), halved
  • 200g fishballs or pre-cooked Vietnamese-style cha lua, sliced
  • 300g fresh egg noodles and 200g cooked rice vermicelli, divided
  • To serve: 200g bean sprouts blanched, 1 lime cut into wedges, fresh laksa leaf (Vietnamese mint), sambal oelek

Method

  1. Blend all rempah ingredients with 3 tbsp water to a smooth thick paste in a powerful blender, scraping down often.
  2. Heat the peanut oil in a wide heavy pan and fry the rempah on medium heat for 18 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste deeply darkens and oil separates around the edges. This is the most important step in the dish; do not rush it.
  3. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes to extract flavour.
  4. Stir in the coconut milk, coconut cream, palm sugar and fish sauce; reduce to a low simmer (do not boil hard or the coconut milk will split).
  5. Drop in the chicken slices and tofu puffs, simmer 8 minutes.
  6. Add the prawns and fishballs, cook a further 3 minutes until the prawns curl and turn pink.
  7. Blanch the noodles separately for 30 seconds; divide between 4 large bowls, half egg noodle and half vermicelli per bowl. Top with a heap of blanched bean sprouts.
  8. Ladle the laksa broth generously over the top, distributing the meat, prawns and tofu evenly. Serve with a lime wedge, laksa leaf and an extra spoon of sambal.

Editor tip. Belacan is the secret. Toast it dry in foil first for 90 seconds per side to deepen the funk before blending. The rempah-frying step is where laksa is made or broken; pull the heat back if the paste catches.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Soy, Gluten, Egg.