Laksa

Laksa is a coconut-based noodle soup found across Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, with regional variations that are fiercely defended by their hometowns. The Singaporean version starts with a rempah — a paste of dried chilies, candlenuts, lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste and coriander root — fried hard in oil until the colour deepens and the smell of raw spice cooks out. Coconut milk and stock loosen it to a soup, with rice vermicelli or thick rice noodles, and toppings of prawns, fish cake, tofu puffs, beansprouts and a quartered hard-boiled egg. The risk: undercooking the rempah leaves a raw, harsh flavour that no amount of coconut can rescue.