Deliciously fragrant this Easy Tofu Laksa is fresh and flavourful. A spicy and creamy soup with rice noodles and crispy tofu this is delicious! Great for a tasty vegan lunch or dinner.
This post is sponsored by Hello Fresh
The lovely people at Hello Fresh got in touch and asked me to try out some of their recipes from their fab recipe hub. This Tofu Laksa jumped right out at me. It's so easy to make and tastes amazing! Deliciously simple and chef-curated this recipe doesn't disappoint!
If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that I'm a recent convert to tofu. I love it now, and I'm always looking for ways to sneak it into our weekly meal plan. Whether it's a Tofu Tikka Masala or my Tofu Katsu Curry tofu is now a weekly must. So this tofu laksa is the perfect addition to our rota.
What Is Laksa?
Laksa is a fragrant spicy noodle soup popular in Southeast Asia. Laksa consists of thick wheat or rice noodles with chicken, prawn or fish, served in spicy soup based on either rich and spicy curry coconut milk or a sour asam (usually tamarind). It is commonly served in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand. Common toppings include fried tofu puffs, fish cakes, blanched cockles, chicken, shrimp, minced laksa leaves, bean sprouts and other vegetables. This version is vegan.
What You'll Need
This is an easy recipe made with store cupboard ingredients.
How To Make This Easy Vegan Laksa
This is just a quick visual guide please see the recipe card below for full instructions.
1. Press the tofu. Add chilli garlic and pepper to a saucepan and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the Thai red curry sauce and cook for another minute.
2. Sir in the coconut milk. Once the coconut milk has been added, stir in the peanut butter and stock then simmer.
3. Cut the tofu into chunks then place in a bowl with the soy sauce, lime zest and cornflour (cornstarch) and season well with salt and black pepper. Fry the tofu until crispy and golden.
4. Add the noodles to the soup, use a wooden spoon to break the noodles up a bit. Cook until the noodles are soft and ready to eat. Serve with steamed broccoli, lime wedges, coriander and top with crispy tofu.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions
- Tofu - I use extra firm tofu for this recipe. I recommend pressing the tofu to remove the excess water from it. This can be easily done by double lining a baking tray with kitchen paper. Slice the tofu into four slices then place on top of the paper. Cover the tofu with another layer of paper then place another baking tray over the tofu. Place a heavy pan on the tray and leave for at least 20 - 30 minutes.
- Noodles - You can use almost any noodles for this, egg noodles, rice sticks, vermicelli and glass noodles all work really well. If you want to keep this vegan go for the rice noodles. I love the thick rice noodles, they add an extra bite to the laksa.
- Thai Red Curry Paste - To keep this laksa vegan make sure the paste you buy is vegan. As you are using this for the base of this dish I recommend buying a good quality paste if you can.
- Coconut Milk - I prefer full-fat coconut milk for this dish. You can use low-fat coconut milk if you want, you may find that the soup is not as creamy though.
- Toppings - You can add more toppings to this if you want, crispy shallots, beansprouts, sugar snap peas, shredded cucumber all work really well.
Tips For Making Tofu Laksa
- Tip #1 - If you don't have time to make the crispy fried tofu you can buy tofu puffs instead. They’re fairly standard in south-east Asian supermarkets if you're lucky enough to live near one.
- Tip #2 - If you prefer more liquid in your laksa then I would cook the noodles first before adding them to the soup. Some noodles can soak up quite a lot of liquid. I don't mind this so much, so add my noodles to the soup to cook. If the noodles soak up too much of the liquid just add a splash of hot water to get it back to a soupy consistency.
- Tip #3 - It is important to cook the curry paste so as to release its flavour. Please give it at least a minute or two before you add the coconut milk.
How To Serve Laksa
I serve this with lime wedges, coriander, chopped or crushed peanuts and steamed broccoli. Laksa is best served straight away in large bowls. You could also add some chopped red chilli, and slices of spring onions. I recommend adding some fresh chilli paste on the side and breaking up the noodles so you can use a spoon to eat it.
More Tasty Vegan Soup Recipes
- Vegetable Barley Soup - Packed with vegetables and pearl barley in a flavourful broth, this soup is easy to make and so tasty!
- Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup - With just a few ingredients you can have this delicious, warmly spiced soup on the table in no time!
- Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup - bursting with flavour and made with just a few simple ingredients this vegan soup is perfect for lunch or as a starter.
And if you loved this recipe do check out Hello Fresh's website where you'll find more great recipes on their Most Popular Recipes page.
Easy Tofu Laksa
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 280 g ( 1x 10oz pack) of extra firm tofu cut into even 4 equal slices
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 lime the zest of cut the lime in half and save for the laksa
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Oil for frying
For the laksa
- 1 tablespoon oil light flavoured oil is best
- 3 spring onions (scallions) chopped. I used all the white and some of the green parts.
- 2 cloves of garlic put through a garlic press or finely grated
- 1 medium red chilli pepper pith and seeds removed and finely chopped.
- 1 large red bell pepper pith and seeds removed then cut into small chunks.
- 2 heaped tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 x 400 ml (1 x 13.6 oz ) can of coconut milk I use full fat coconut milk
- 800 ml (3 cups) of vegetable stock made with 1 tablespoon vegan bouillion and 800ml of boiling water
- 1 level tablespoon smooth peanut butter
- 2 nests of rice noodles I used wide pad Thai rice noodles
- 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
- Lime juice from half a lime
- salt and black pepper for seasoning
For Serving
- 200 g steamed broccoli
- 1 tablespoon peanuts
- Lime wedges
- Coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
For the tofu
- Start by pressing to tofu to get rid of excess water.Slice the tofu into 4 even slices. Place the tofu slices on a baking tray double lined with kitchen paper. Place another double layer of kitchen paper on the tofu. Place another baking tray on top of the tofu then place a heavy skillet or 4 cans of beans on top.Leave to drain for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Next, cut the tofu into cubes and add to a bowl.Add 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce to the tofu. Toss the tofu in the soy sauce.Once the tofu has absorbed most of the soy sauce add 1 tablespoon of cornflour (cornstarch) and the zest of one lime. Season with salt and pepper.Toss the tofu and set it aside until you are ready to fry it.
To make the laksa
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy-based saucepan.Add the chilli, garlic and bell pepper. Cook for a minute then add 2 heaped tablespoons of Thai red chilli paste. Cook for a few minutes until the pasted releases its aromas.
- Slowly pour in the coconut milk stirring all the time. Add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of dark brown sugar.Simmer gently for 10 mins. Stirring often.
- While the soup is simmering cook the tofu. Heat some oil in a frying pan then add the tofu. Toss often so that the tofu is evenly cooked. I do this in two batches.Keep the tofu warm until you are ready to serve it. If you are serving this with steamed broccoli, steam the broccoli now.
- After the laksa has been cooking for 10 mins, add in the noodle nests. Gradually break up the noodles with a wooden spoon as they soften.Cook until soft enough to eat, about 4 mins.Remove from the heat and add the juice from half the lime. Taste and add salt, pepper and more lime juice if you feel it needs it.Serve immediately in big bowls topped with the crispy tofu, steamed broccoli, chopped peanuts, lime wedges and coriander.
Notes
- Tofu - I use extra firm tofu for this recipe. I recommend pressing the tofu to remove the excess water from it. This can be easily done by double lining a baking tray with kitchen paper. Slice the tofu into four slices then place on top of the paper. Cover the tofu with another layer of paper then place another baking tray over the tofu. Place a heavy pan on the tray and leave for at least 30 minutes.
- Noodles - You can use almost any noodles for this, egg noodles, rice sticks, vermicelli and glass noodles all work really well. If you want to keep these vegan go for the rice noodles. I love the thick rice noodles, they add an extra bite to the laksa.
- Thai Red Curry Paste - To keep this laksa vegan make sure the paste you buy is vegan. As you are using this for the base of this dish I recommend buying a good quality paste if you can.
- Coconut Milk - I prefer full-fat coconut milk for this dish. You can use low-fat coconut milk if you want, you may find that the soup is not as creamy though.
- Nutritional Information - is calculated using an online nutrition tool. It is approximate and is based on 3 very generous servings.
- Recipe inspiration - this recipe is an adaptation of this recipe here.
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