Laksa Johor – Because Spaghetti Deserves a Curry Bath
- My Blue Tea
- Jun 2
- 6 min read
The Laksa Johor You've Been Waiting For - Master Laksa Johor at Home
Today, we're making Laksa Johor using our Meat Curry Base + Rendang Powder. Rich. Aromatic. Unforgettable.
Someone needs to write a sonnet for the sensual, passionate laksa that so many adore.
Oh Laksa, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... we can savour you and best part is you can cook almost all the laksa using My Blue Tea - Super Spices.
There was a heated Laksa argument in the Malaysian community comment - which Laksa is the best? The fight was between Laksa Johor vs Laksa Kedah - ie all due to the fact you enjoy Laksa Johor with spaghetti and not the usual yellow noodles/vermicelli or flat noodles. And also another heated argument between Penang Assam Laksa vs Sarawak Laksa - Sarawak Laksa wins! Was crowned Best Asian Food by Taste Atlas
| SARAWAK LAKSA |
Sarawak Laksa has just been crowned the Best Asian Food by TasteAtlas, the world's first interactive food map, with the score of 4.8 out of 5 stars. (Posted in Sept 2022)
No wonder the late Anthony Bourdain called it “The Breakfast of the Gods”.
Source: September 2022 - TasteAtlas website: https://www.tasteatlas.com/
There are about 11 to 13 different Laksas across Malaysia — each with its own unique flavour, history, and origin. (Fun fact: Sandakan was once known as the "Hong Kong of the 1960s," and Tuaran Laksa is a delicious newcomer.) Today, we're celebrating Laksa Johor — made by marrying our Meat Curry Base with Rendang Powder. Let's cook.
Laksa Johor – Big Flavour, No Rules
Ingredients (A) :
*1 packet - @my.blue.tea Meat Curry base (50g)
1 packet - @my.blue.tea Rendang base (50g)
500 ml - Water
140 ml - Cooking oil
6 nos - Lemongrass (smashed)
1 litre - Water
1/2 tspn - @my.blue.tea Kaffir Lime Leaf powder (optional)
2 cubes - Anchovy stock
360 g - Canned tuna (mashed)
4 nos - Tamarind slice
80 g - Roasted desiccated coconut / Kerisik
A Taste of Johor – Creamy Curry Broth, Spaghetti Swirls, Pure Magic
Ingredients (B) :
*800 ml - Water
*500 g - Spaghetti
Garnish:
*2 nos - Onion (thinly shredded)
*1 no - Cucumber (thinly shredded)
*200 g - Bean sprouts
*5 nos - Kasturi/Calamansi lime (cut in half)
*1 spoonful - @my.blue.tea Torch Ginger (rehydrate) (optional)
*1 bunch - Kesum leaves/Vietnamese mint (thinly shredded)
*200 g - Mint leaves (thinly shredded)
Few quick facts most KL people miss: Johor laksa uses actual spaghetti, brought back by the Sultan from a trip to Italy in the early 1900s. Sarawak laksa has 36-40 spices in the paste and there's no coconut milk in Assam Laksa. Kelantan laksam is technically not a laksa despite the name. Sabah Tuaran laksa uses hand-rolled egg noodles, totally different texture from anything else on the list.Which one is your default?
Tag your "laksa kaki" = Laksa friends!!. Fight starts email us at info@mybluetea.com.au
As usual we look for our inspiration and knowledge from ChefJo, Malaysia's Master Chef Juro - and here's what Chef wrote about Laksa Johor :-
Laksa Johor is the southern state’s favourite dish and is served during festive occasions such as Hari Raya.
Those out of the state would recognise it most as the laksa made with spaghetti noodles or egg noodles instead – even though most Malaysians only became familiar with dried pasta when spaghetti Bolognese became popular here in the 1980s.
Making Laksa Johor is painstaking work as the spice mixture and seafood preparations are time consuming. They are particular about the ingredients used to make the laksa gravy. Most only use fish, but laksa Johor also has prawns, and dried prawns and fish. Only choice ingredients such as #ikanparang or #wolfherring , #ikankurau #threadfin, the freshest prawns and good quality dried seafood are used.
Johorean cooks would also pay meticulous attention to the laksa garnishing and accompaniments. The garnishings for laksa Johor are cucumber, bean sprouts, long beans, daun kesum or polygonum and daun selasih or Thai basil, Chinese pickled radish chye poh. The cucumber has to be cut in a certain way. Its have to first peel it, cut it into shorter lengths and cut around it in a circular motion to get a long strip before cutting into julienne.The must-have condiments are sambal belacan and calamansi limes. Many Johoreans typically eat their #laksajohor with their fingers, rather than with fork and spoon. SELAMAT MENJAMU SELERA! ENJOY! ENJOYLaksa Johor – Where Malaysia Meets Italy (And It Works)
Cooking Method
1. Boil spaghetti in water until cooked. Rinse with cold water. Strain dry and toss with cooking oil. Set aside.
2. Well mix ingredients (A) in a wok/pot, add lemongrass and cook under medium heat until fragrant and oil rises.
3. Add water and bring to boil. Add tuna into gravy and simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Add anchovy stock, tamarind slices and roasted desiccated coconut (kerisik). Simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Lastly, add Ingredients B and bring to boil. Gravy is ready to serve.
6. Serve desired amount of spaghetti onto a bowl, pour over the gravy and top with garnishes. Serve while still hot.
The goodies you require to create yummy various Malaysian laksa varieties :-
From left to right: Malaysian Super Spice packs, dried Torch Ginger slices, Sarawak Laksa mix, Kaffir Lime Leaf powder, Butterfly Pea tea or powder, and Pandan Powder. Together, they're everything you need to create the most incredible varieties of Malaysian food & Laksa — right in your own kitchen.
Tea pairing with Laksa Johor :-
One of our most beloved blends is Blue Apple Magic. When Grace Lim served it at a mini party, she said: 'Yesterday, our guests tried Blue Apple Magic tea. OMG! The tea is so fragrant!
Yes, it's that good — much better than other commercial teas.'
We try our best to keep you happy and healthy. Thank you, Grace — your kind words mean the world to us.
About Amazing Grace, our Noodle Queen:-
The above Johor Laksa is contributed by our Brand Ambassador and food lover, Grace, who is an International Tax Accountant, tax advisor, an enthusiastic educator and the mother of 3 lovely kids. Do follow @grazia.lim to be a part of her cooking adventures. You will be amazed what's in store!........./Yum! Yum! Yum!
Laksa varieties & the new Laksa "Tuaran Laksa, Sabah"
Malaysia is home to an incredible matrix of laksa varieties, with almost every state boasting its own unique spin on this iconic noodle dish. The name "laksa" itself is believed to originate from a Sanskrit word meaning "one hundred thousand," hinting at the massive number of ingredients and complex flavour profiles found in a single bowl.
From north to south, east to west — every state serves up its own unique version, each with a distinct flavour, history, and origin story. There's creamy, herbaceous Nyonya Laksa from Melaka. Spicy, sour Asam Laksa from Penang. Sarawak Laksa with its bold, aromatic broth. And let's not forget Tuaran Laksa from Sabah — a lesser-known gem that deserves the spotlight.
Speaking of Sabah — did you know Sandakan was once nicknamed the "little Hong Kong of the 1960s"? 🇭🇰✨
One country. Countless bowls. Endless stories. Which Laksa is your favourite?!!.
Key Varieties of Malaysian Laksa
Before diving into Sabah's specialty, it helps to map out the mainstream map of Malaysian laksas to see just how much they vary:
Penang Asam Laksa: A vibrant, spicy-sour fish broth made with poached mackerel, tamarind (asam gelugur), lemongrass, torch ginger flower is MUST and chillies. It uses thick, translucent rice noodles and is garnished with fresh pineapple, cucumber, mint, and a thick dollop of sweet, pungent prawn paste (hae ko).
Sarawak Laksa: Famously dubbed "the breakfast of gods" by Anthony Bourdain, this Bornean masterpiece features a broth made from a highly guarded paste of up to 36 spices, prawn shells, and a splash of coconut milk. It uses thin rice vermicelli topped with shredded chicken, prawns, omelette strips, and coriander.
Laksa Johor: An unusual historical hybrid that uses western spaghetti noodles instead of rice noodles, supposedly introduced by a former Sultan who visited Italy. The broth is an ultra-thick, concentrated fish and spice paste that is traditionally eaten using bare hands.
Laksam: Hailing from the northeastern coast (Kelantan and Terengganu), this dish features thick, flat rice-flour noodle rolls drowned in a pale, creamy, mildly sweet gravy made of boiled fish flesh and rich coconut milk.
Nyonya / Laksa Lemak: Born from the Peranakan culture, this variant is the baseline for "curry laksa." It features a heavy coconut milk base infused with prawn stock and aromatic rempah (spice paste), served with tofu puffs, cockles, and Vietnamese mint (daun kesum).
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