Tastes like home
“Mee Kari Penang, or what many know as Penang White Curry Laksa, is the bowl we turn to when we need comfort. It is our reset button, like an edible exhale.”
Ahmad Salim and Aim Aris say…
Mee Kari Penang, or what many know as Penang White Curry Laksa, is the bowl we turn to when we need comfort. It is our reset button, like an edible exhale.
We’ve eaten it in the thick Malaysian heat, sweat forming before the first spoonful. We’ve made it in Melbourne winters, when the air is sharp and the kitchen windows fog from simmering gravy. In both places, it feels the same – a taste of home at our table, wherever that might be.
There’s something deeply satisfying about pouring that rich, coconut-laced curry over blanched noodles and watching everything come alive. The gravy is intentionally pale, almost modest, which means the heat is yours to control – a spoonful of sambal if we’re feeling gentle or a generous dollop if we want it fiery. It’s a dish that adapts to mood, weather and appetite to meet us exactly where we are.
Like most curries, it deepens overnight. The flavours settle, round out and grow bolder. The next day’s bowl is often better than the first, and we quietly cook extra just for that reason. There is something wonderful about knowing the flavours will improve on their own over time.
Then come the toppings, which make every bowl personal. Aim piles hers high with prawns and tau pok (tofu puffs), letting the tofu puffs soak up the gravy until they burst with flavour. Ahmad reaches for crunchy bean sprouts and a soft-boiled egg, the yolk melting into the soup and turning it silkier with every stir.
Mee Kari Penang has carried us through long days, homesick moments and quiet Sunday afternoons. It’s not just a delicious bowl of food but a taste of home.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Stock udang (prawn stock)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
200g prawn heads and shells
Coconut broth
4 cups prawn stock (above)
30g rock sugar
2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, bruised
1 tablespoon salt or to taste
120g fried tofu puffs, halved
400ml tin coconut milk or to taste
Curry paste
6 garlic cloves
12 red shallots, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons Malaysian chilli paste
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons toasted belacan (fermented shrimp paste)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Laksa
125ml vegetable oil
500g fresh noodles (Singapore, chow mein or Hokkien)
500g banana prawns, peeled and deveined, tails intact
180g bean sprouts
Method
To make the prawn stock, heat the oil in a stockpot over medium‑high heat, add the garlic and cook until lightly golden. Add the prawn heads and shells and stir until fragrant. Pour in 2 litres of water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove from the heat. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and transfer to an airtight container.
To make the coconut broth, combine the prawn stock, rock sugar, lemongrass, salt and 1 litre of water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pan, discarding the solids. Set aside.
To make the curry paste, place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Heat the oil in a wok or a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste and stir-fry for 8–10 minutes until aromatic and dark in colour. Remove from the heat and transfer to a condiment bowl.
When you are ready to serve, bring the coconut broth back to the boil over medium heat. Add the fried tofu puffs and coconut milk, adjusting the quantity according to how creamy you want the broth to be. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Working in separate batches, lightly blanch the noodles, prawns and bean sprouts in a saucepan of boiling water for about 5 seconds each. Transfer to individual serving bowls. Ladle the coconut broth over the top and serve immediately with a generous scoop of curry paste.
A DAY IN PENANG BY AI ARIS AND AHMAD SALIM IS OUT NOW THROUGH SMITH STREET BOOKS.
Published in ed#762
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