If you walk into a Malaysian restaurant in Melbourne and ask for laksa, nine times out of ten you'll get a bowl of curry laksa. That's the version that's taken over the city — rich, coconutty, loaded with yellow noodles, tofu puffs, prawns, and egg strips. But here's the thing: there are about a dozen other laksa varieties from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and most Australians have never tried them.
Ping Ch'ng, co-owner of Kakilang in the city and Balwyn, says curry laksa was only meant to be a limited-time menu item. “However, it gained popularity very quickly and we decided to put it on permanently,” she says. The spice blend — turmeric, lemongrass, garlic, ginger — simmered with prawn or chicken stock and finished with coconut milk, hits a sweet spot that most palates love.
Hisham Abdullah, owner and chef of Kantan in Fitzroy, reckons curry laksa's dominance comes down to the broad appeal of its flavours. “It uses ‘everyday’ spices like cumin and ginger so most people know the flavours,” he says. Trying to define laksa is like trying to pin jelly to a wall: pointless but entertaining. As Hisham puts it: “Laksa is like the English language: there's rules but also lots of exceptions.”
There's coconut milk laksa ranging from deeply savoury orange-brown versions (curry laksa, Sarawak laksa, Katong laksa, Bogor laksa) to milder, herbaceous “white” laksa (laksam). There's tangy fish-forward asam laksa, and even laksa Johor, which famously uses spaghetti and is structured like a dry bolognese topped with fish gravy.
Kakilang serves both curry laksa and asam laksa — the second-best known variety outside Malaysia. Asam means sour in Malay, so the name gives away the taste profile. Their version uses fish bones and mackerel for the stock, layered with belacan (fermented shrimp) and tamarind slices. It comes with thick, chewy rice noodles and fresh toppings like pineapple, cucumber, mint, and torch ginger flowers. “The sour, fishy flavour can be an acquired taste,” says Ch'ng. But if you've travelled to Penang, you might already love it.
Sarah Chan, executive chef of Waterside Hotel in Melbourne's CBD, grew up in Kuching, Sarawak — about 1000 kilometres from peninsular Malaysia. Her all-time favourite laksa is Sarawak laksa, a fixture of her childhood. “It was the first bite of spice I had as a child of maybe six or seven years old,” she says. “Good laksa stalls have it from 7am to 11.30am and if you go after that, it will be sold out.”
She's put Sarawak laksa on the menu at Past/Port, the restaurant at Waterside Hotel. The broth uses chicken stock infused with prawn shells, a spice blend with galangal and chilli, and is finished with coconut milk. Toppings include sliced chicken, egg strips, lime, and two large grilled king prawns from Queensland — an Australian touch that showcases local ingredients. “It's a bit lighter than curry laksa because it uses vermicelli rather than the thicker, yellow noodles,” she explains.
Hisham has gone a different route: a plant-based curry laksa. “We started in Fitzroy and there were many people with vegan diets who kept asking us for options,” he says. His broth uses granulated mushrooms and mushroom stock for savoury notes, plus fennel seeds and coriander roots. Tofu, green beans, and roasted eggplant tie it together.
Sarah Chan thinks curry laksa's dominance over regional varieties comes down to travel patterns. “Curry laksa is mainly found in central [peninsular] Malaysia and Penang, which is much more well travelled and known to many,” she says. Not everyone ventures to regional states, so they miss out on the sheer differences in laksa.
So next time you're in Melbourne and craving laksa, maybe skip the curry and try something else. Your taste buds might thank you.