A Curry Retrospective: Singaporean Laksa

As a continuation of my package mix vs. made from scratch experiment, I made the from-scratch version of the Laksa curry noodle dish. The dish I made from a package mix by Asian Home Gourmet was very tasty and easy. So I attempted to reproduce similar results using a synthesis of laksa recipes found on the Internet.

First I made a spice paste with ginger, garlic, lemongrass, onion, and mint. The onion was a substitute for shallots, and mint a substitute for laksa leaves. To that, I added a generous helping of curry powder, a can of coconut milk and a couple tablespoons of patis. Instead of chicken breasts, I used drumsticks this time, with the meat removed from the bones.

And instead of the half-dozen garnishes and condiments recommended by the recipe, I made up another batch of that fantastic hoisin-chili-garlic-brandy-soy-ginger sauce I made a few days ago to go with the pan-seared scallops. It was a delightfully harmonious and spicy condiment to accompany the lightly sweet, coconut flavor of the laksa broth.

When all was said and done, my finished dish was much simpler than the deconstructed assembly, although the flavors were remarkably similar. However, the from-scratch recipe was more labor-intensive, with the hand-made spice paste.

Bottom line: If I had access to Asian Home Gourmet Laksa Mix at my local market, I would choose it over going to the trouble of making it from scratch, but I would serve it my way rather than in the mode of presentation recommended on the package. So I guess I want the best of both worlds.

Here is a link to the Recipe and Photo on ThingsAsian.