When it comes to quick Southeast Asian food, I am all in. There’s nothing quite like a deliciously aromatic vegetarian laska broth filled with noodles, vegetables and tons of goodness.
Traditionally laksa is topped with meat and seafood, but let’s be honest, the majority of the flavour is in the broth. So who says you can’t have an excellent laksa that’s vegetarian?
I’ve experimented with a lot of different recipes to try and recreate my restaurant favourites. This one is an amalgamation of all the best ones, to create a super simple yet mouth watering vegetarian laksa. You can add whatever fillings you want, and it’ll still taste great. Best of all, it only takes 15 minutes.
Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Quick Vegetable Laksa
Ingredients
- 1 Bell Pepper
- 1 Spring Onion
- 1 Lemongrass
- 1/2 Lime
- 1 tsp Crushed Ginger
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 200 ml Coconut Milk
- 1/2 Stock Cube
- 2 tsp Peanut Butter
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 nest Egg Noodles
- 1 tbsp Crushed Salted Peanuts
- 1 Red Chilli
- 100 ml Water
- Cooking Oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the bell pepper and spring onion into small chunks. Finely chop the chilli.
- Cut the end off the lemongrass. Peel off any dry layers, then bash with a rolling pin to release the flavours.
- Heat some cooking oil in a pan, over medium heat.
- Add in the bell pepper and lemon grass. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the cumin, garlic powder and crushed ginger. Stir for 1 minute.
- Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the stock cube and water.
- Stir in the peanut butter, and cook for a few minutes.
- Gently break up the noodle nest and add to the pan. Making sure all of it is submerged in the sauce.
- Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until noodles are soft. You may need to add some more water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Add in the soy sauce.
- Grate the lime skin (zest) into the pan. Then squeeze in the juice.
- Add salt to taste.
- Serve in a bowl. Top with the crushed salted peanuts, spring onion and finely chopped chilli. Enjoy!
Fancy making Dishoom’s chilli cheese toast? Here’s the super quick and easy recipe.