International Laksa Day 2023: How Indian chefs are taking the liberty to innovate with the complex Southeast Asian dish

At Thea in Bandra, chef Juliano Rodrigues serves the Southeast Asian noodle soup Laksa but doesn't serve it like you would usually expect. The Mumbai chef innovates with the traditional dish to serve Malaysian Laksa soup served with sprout bean salad. He explains, "The sprout bean salad adds a refreshing crunch and a touch of bitterness that balances the richness of the laksa broth, creating a symphony of flavours and textures. Our take on South Asian soup is purely vegetarian and without the addition of fish sauce or shrimp paste." This unique combination, he highlights, showcases the versatility of Laksa and its ability to incorporate local ingredients while retaining its authentic essence.

Mumbai boasts of many Asian food restaurants in different parts of the city, and the number has only been increasing over the years, as more people are aware of the variety in the cuisine. It not only boasts of Chinese and Japanese food, but also Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesia, Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Among many dishes, the world celebrates laksa on the last Sunday of November as International Laksa Day. This year, the day to celebrate the dish falls on November 26. For the uninitiated, Laksa is a Southeast Asian noodle soup that is usually made with thick rice noodles and is not only eaten with chicken but also with prawn or fish that is either mixed with a broth or consumed as a coconut soup. While some Mumbai chefs believe the dish is quite complex, others like Rodrigues have taken the liberty to innovate with the dish to suit the local palate.

Taking the vegetarian route
The Mumbai chef talks from experience because he has observed how the Southeast Asian dish has become popular over the years. "The dish has seen a growing appreciation in Mumbai over the years. Its rich flavours, diverse ingredients, and customisable nature have captivated the city's culinary enthusiasts. The dish's popularity can be attributed to several factors including increased exposure to Southeast Asian cuisine, the rise of food tourism, and the growing demand for authentic and flavourful Asian dishes," he shares.

It is also what inspired him to think of a version of the soup that shouldn't be limited to non-vegetarians but also be extended to vegetarians with a unique variation. He adds, "This culinary innovation demonstrates the adaptability of Laksa and its potential to transcend geographical boundaries, appealing to a wider audience while staying true to its roots." In fact, Juliano hopes that as the Laksa continues to gain popularity in Mumbai, chefs should take the opportunity to explore its culinary possibilities by introducing new twists and interpretations to offer something new to diners in the city.

Giving the Goan touch
Even chef Lily from the award-winning Thai restaurant Banyan Tree at Taj Holiday Village Resort & Spa in Goa has seen more people warming up to the noodle soup in more ways than one. So, when the Goa-based chef says she has been innovating with the dish to make fusion experimental Laksa with unique ingredients from Indonesia, we aren't surprised. While this dish is not available on their regular menu, it often features in the food festivals they host in the sunshine state or can be ordered by diners for private dinners at the five-star property in north Goa. Just like Juliano, Lily takes the liberty of innovating with the dish by using local ingredients to suit the palate of diners coming to the state for Goan flavours. This, she says, ensures that she maintains the essence of the Laksa while also catering to the contemporary culinary landscape in India.

So, how does she do it? The Goa-based chef says she substitutes spices and proteins by using unconventional choices that actually adds a different layer of flavour to the dish. She explains, "For the laksa we make, we use coconut milk from our own homegrown coconut trees at the resort. Since the defining characteristic of the dish is the noodles, which is primarily rice noodles, we use the local rice as the locals are rice eaters; this then works not only as a soup but as a whole meal. Instead of the noodles, we also use thick vermicelli cut into shorter pieces that can be easily slurped up with the soup." It is not only the use of local coconuts and rice, or vermicelli instead of noodles, that influences the flavours of the dish for Lily. "We also use Aldona chillies which were as the legend says, were brought by the Portuguese - also locally known as Portuguese chillies for their spiciness," she adds.

In fact, the Goa-based chef takes it a step further and even substitutes tofu with yam, which she says is grown locally and in abundance. "Since Goa experiences over five months of heavy monsoon, the seafood here is usually dried during the non-monsoon months and used during the monsoon months for various dishes. As the traditional dish also includes seafood, I use dried clams instead of dried shrimps to make it," she shares. With Goa also boasting of its cashew nuts, Lily makes sure to make the most off the local cashews paste to make the gravy thick and even uses the kokum to give it just the right amount of sourness. "I even make use of fish sauce that we make of locally available fish like mackerel, kingfish or snapper," she shares.

Interestingly, even as Juliano and Lily have experimented with the Laksa, Ruffy Shaikh, senior sous chef at ITC Grand Central in Parel in Mumbai believes Laksa is yet to gain more popularity by reaching its full potential in Mumbai or any other metros. He explains, "The recipe and preparation required authentic ingredients and methods and that needs to be perfect while making it." At the five-star property in the city, Shaikh has taken the liberty of making Laksa with millets, inspired by the ‘Year of Millets', called Prosso Millet Laksa Noodle Soup, which is not on the menu but a dish he has experimented with, and believes many Indians will not only identify with but also love to relish.

Prosso Millet Laksa Noodle Soup

Laksa paste:

Ingredients:

Coriander powder 1 tsp
Sweet paprika 1/2 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1/2 tsp
Onions, chopped 1 no
Lemon grass 2 sticks
Galangal, peeled and chopped 3 pieces
Broken cashew nut 50 gm
Peanut oil 1 tbsp
Shrimp paste 2 tbsp
Red chilli paste 2 tbsp

Method:
1. Dry roast all the powder (ground turmeric, coriander powder, ground sweet paprika, ground cumin powder) in a pan.
2. Place onion, lemongrass, galangal, nuts, garlic, shrimp paste and spice mixture in a food processor to a fine paste.

Ingredients:
Coconut oil 20 ml
Shrimp 250 gm
Lime leaves, chopped 5 gm
Palm sugar 10 gm
Coconut milk powder 100 gm
Fish sauce 15 ml
Sprout beans 50 gm
Cilantro 15 gm
Prosso millet, boiled 50 gm
Tofu, fried 50 gm
Laksa paste 50 gm
Red and yellow capsicum 50 gm
Salt 5 gm

Method:
1. Heat oil in pan and saute laksa pasta.
2. Add coconut milk powder mixed with water with the paste.
3. Once it starts boiling add noodles, vegetables, miller shrimp and cilantro.
4. Boil for 10 mins and adjust the salt as per taste.
5. Serve hot with lemon wedge.