ramyaramesh3007This rice noodle laksa dish drenched in a spicy, flavourful coconut curry is an Asian delicacy that’s truly addictive! It’s vegan AND gluten free.
This spicy noodle dish always reminds me that asian food is like a melting pot of different cultures. The ingredients used are so similar to other curries, yet depth and type of flavours are so different.
Laksa is native to Malaysian & Singaporean cuisines so you can easily get this dish here. However, it’s slightly more challenging to find a vegan version of this dish. This is because the traditional version contains shrimp paste so in this recipe, we veganized it very easily by omitting it!
Thank you for Anh who created this amazing recipe with me – for authentic asian and vietnamese recipes, go to Veggie Anh!
For recipes similar to this, you can check out my Thai Coconut Curry Chickpea Ramen, Vegan Kimchi Stew with Ramen, & Vegan Creamy Miso Ramen.
I can’t find all the ingredients in my grocery store…what do I do?
While I do recommend making the Laksa paste from scratch, for an easier foolproof version, use store bought Laksa Paste. I love this vegan, gluten free and organic one by Mekhala’s Living. You just need to use 2-3 tablespoons for immense flavour (not an affiliate – I’ve tried and tested this brand on my own accord).
Is Laksa gluten free?
It absolutely is! Made with whole spices, vegetables, coconut milk and rice noodles, this dish is free from nuts and gluten. If you want to make this soy free, omit the tofu puffs, soy sauce. You don’t need any replacement for this but if you prefer to add a protein – you can always add a soy-free plant based meat alternative.
Vegan Laksa
Equipment
- 1 High Speed Blender
- 1 pot or pan
- 1 Chopping Board
- 1 knife
Ingredients
Laksa Paste
- 4 shallots
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 lemongrass (white part only with purple insides)
- 6 kaffir lime leaves
- thumb sized galangal
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 3 dried red chili
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
Laksa
- 1 tbsp oil
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 500 ml water
- lime juice
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
Toppings
- 3 servings thick rice vermicelli noodles
- bok choy
- tofu puffs
- beansprouts
- sliced red chili
- coriander
Instructions
- Slice the ends of the lemongrass until you no longer see a purple tint on the insides.
- De-seed the dried red chilies. Soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil them for a few minutes.
- Add the ingredients needed for the paste into a blender. You can chop them up into smaller pieces for easier blending or you can blend them whole. When adding the kaffir lime leaves, tear them into half along the stem to enhance the aroma.
- Add some oil to pan. Add the curry paste and saute until fragrant (one way to identify this is to see if the oil you added is coming to the top of the paste).
- Add water, coconut milk and mix well. Add soy sauce, salt and pepper as needed. Bring to a boil.
- Add your tofu puffs and bok choy. Cook them for a few minutes until the bok choy or greens are bright green. Turn off the heat.
- Cook your rice noodles according to the packaging instructions.
- Assemble the noodles in a bowl, add your laksa broth and top with beansprouts, coriander and red chili.
Notes
- You can use any type of noodles for this dish, but I recommend white rice noodles if you want a more authentic taste of the overall flavours of laksa.Â
- You can omit shallots and garlic if you avoid alliums. You can also add 1/2 tbsp onion and garlic powder for a more gut friendly alternative.Â
- You can use fresh thai red chillies instead of dried red chilis.
- You can replace chili powder with paprika or chili flakes.