The best laksa in Hong Kong: a Malaysian and a Singaporean go on a spicy noodle soup hunt
- A rich soup base is the foundation of a good laksa, but there are several varieties, so we confined our quest to curry laksa, or nyonya laksa, with coconut milk
- Our experts look for how springy the noodles are, the balance of spices and herbs, and how well cooked and flavourful the ingredients are
For many Singaporean and Malaysian expats living in Hong Kong, a satisfying curry laksa is an elusive dish. A good bowl of the beloved Southeast Asian spicy noodle soup requires careful attention to the quality of ingredients, including herbs and spices, so that the aroma hits the nose before the food reaches the taste buds.
Time and effort are needed to produce the rich, flavourful prawn stock, then combine it with coconut milk, along with the likes of turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, tamarind, shrimp paste and, of course, chillies. The result should be layered flavours in a rich soup base.
When it comes to the noodles, Malaysians prefer a combination of egg noodles and vermicelli, while Singaporeans like it with lai fun – thick rice noodles. Toppings typically include bean sprouts, half a boiled egg, prawns, tofu puffs, fish cake and cockles. This old fusion dish, developed by Chinese immigrants to the Malay archipelago, is laborious to conjure up, so few places in Hong Kong serve a good laksa. The cheapest versions are often watered down, or are made with soup base from a packet, resulting in a flat taste.
In a quest to find the best, we enlisted the expertise of Chinese Malaysian and Chinese Singaporean residents in the city.
Agnes Chee, from the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, is a food writer who has lived in Hong Kong for 14 years. Singaporean Debbie Yong is passionate about food and came to the city two years ago when her husband got a job posting in the city.
There are different kinds of laksa in Malaysia, depending on the region. For this challenge we chose curry laksa – also known as nyonya laksa – characterised by coconut milk in the soup base. The places on our list include Cafe Malacca in Shek Tong Tsui, known for its authentic Southeast Asian cuisine – but when Chee tastes the curry laksa and finds it shockingly bad, we write it off the list altogether. (For the record, we tried Cafe Malacca’s sour-tasting asam laksa, which was authentic and tasty.) Instead, we settle on the following, which we rank from worst to the best.