First we will make the spice paste / Rempah

Take all the ingredients found under spice paste and grind it to a fine puree. I have used what I could find in my pantry. You can always add or minus an ingredient if you cannot find it. Additionally you can add a little galangal and a few Kaffir lime leaves if you can find. They add an amazing aroma to the soup. Also, instead of cashew nuts, macadamia nuts can be used. Traditionally candle nuts are used for making curry laksa.

The soup

• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add in the halved mushrooms. Add in quarter teaspoon each of salt and red chilli flakes. Saute on a low medium flame till the mushrooms are nice and golden. Make sure not to crowd the mushrooms and cook until its really taken the color. The flavour of nicely roasted mushrooms is divine.
• In the same pan add in a couple of tablespoon of oil and add in the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves crackle. Add in the spice paste.
• Do not cook the spice paste on a high heat. Cook on a medium heat until the spice paste is dry and the oil starts releasing from the paste. Its very important to cook the curry paste well. The final flavour of the soup will depend on how well the spice paste is cooked.
• Once the curry paste is cooked and dry, add in the salt, soy sauce, stock cube, palm sugar, spring onions, basil and mint leaves. Saute the spices and herbs for a minute. Add in 1.5 cups (350 ml) of plain water. Let it come to a boil.
• Add in the veggies. Cut the veggies at an angle so aesthetically it looks good. The choice of veggies is purely yours. Use whatever you have in your fridge. I have used carrots, beans, baby corn and green peas today. You can also use Broccoli, Asparagus, Spinach, Corn, etc..
• Add in 1.5 cups (350 ml) of plain water. Let it come to a boil. Let the veggies cook for 3-4 minutes. We need the veggies to retain their crunch. So do not boil for long. The texture of veggies is very important in the soup.
• Add in 400 ml of canned coconut milk and the lime juice. Let it simmer just for a couple of minutes.
• Add in the red and green capsicum. After adding the capsicum, switch off the flame immediately. Continuing to cook will make the capsicum lose their crunch and will become soggy. The hot soup / residual heat will cook the capsicum just enough. Our Laksa Soup is done. Cover the soup and keep. Meanwhile, we will fix the other ingredients.

The rice noodles for Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version

Cook the rice noodles / vermicelli according to the package instructions. I usually put my noodles in hot water for 3-4 minutes and they are good to go. Read the package instructions as each brand is different. Drain the noodles in a colander and set aside.

The toppings for Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version

Get all the toppings ready. Make sure to deseed the cucumber and then cut into strips. I have also used roasted peanuts. Get the other herbs and veggies ready.

Assembling the Malaysian curry laksa soup – the vegan version

Take a soup bowl and add in the rice noodles. Add in a good amount of soup along with the veggies. Make sure that the rice noodles is totally drowned in the soup. Finish it off by adding all the toppings. Do not forget the sauteed mushrooms. Slurp and enjoy!