Dairy Free Coconut Laksa with Shrimp

Total time55 min

Prep time25 min

Cook time30 min

4.8

(20)

Laksa is one of those bowls that hits every note at once — spicy, fragrant, rich, and deeply satisfying — and this version delivers all of that without a drop of dairy anywhere in sight. The secret is two cans of full-fat coconut milk, which give the broth that silky, luxurious body you'd expect from a restaurant bowl. A homemade paste of dried chilies, lemongrass, ginger, shrimp paste, and warm spices gets cooked down until it's deeply fragrant and slightly caramelized before the liquid even goes in, which means every spoonful carries serious depth. Plump shrimp are poached gently right in the broth so they stay tender, and the whole thing gets ladled over soft rice vermicelli noodles — naturally free of dairy by design. Hard-boiled eggs, crisp bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime finish each bowl with brightness and texture. This recipe makes four generous servings, so it's just as good for a weeknight dinner as it is for impressing guests who have no idea how easy it actually was.

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the laksa paste

4 dried red chilies, stems removed, soaked in hot water 10 minutes and drained
3 shallots, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp neutral oil (such as canola oil or avocado oil)

For the broth

1 tbsp neutral oil
3 cups chicken broth
2 cans (13.5 oz each) full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar

For the shrimp and noodles

1 lb large shrimp (21–25 count), peeled and deveined
8 oz dried rice vermicelli noodles

For serving

2 cups bean sprouts
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 limes, cut into wedges
2–3 tbsp sambal oelek or chili sauce (optional)

Instructions

1
Soak the dried rice vermicelli noodles in a large bowl of room-temperature water for 15 minutes, until pliable but not fully soft. Drain and set aside.
2
Combine the soaked and drained dried chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, shrimp paste, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, and 2 tbsp neutral oil in a blender or food processor. Blend into a smooth, thick paste, scraping down the sides as needed, about 1–2 minutes.

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