Ayam Malaysian Laksa Paste

Posted: November 25, 2022 Updated: October 3, 2023

Ayam laksa paste is one of the few laksa curry pastes available at the supermarket. Laksa is a spicy coconut soup dish found in many countries across South East Asia.

The recipe and preparation varies widely between countries, ranging from intensely spicy to more mild and creamy. It’s most commonly eaten in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

PREPARING THE laksa

The laksa comes together really easily, just heat the paste, water and coconut milk together with any ingredients you choose. Once everything is hot and cooked you pour it over a bowl of prepared noodles.

For our laksa we cooked chicken breast and rice noodles separately. In the soup we cooked green beans and mushrooms.

As a garnish we used finally sliced red capsicum. I’m glad we didn’t have any fresh chilli, I would have added it as a garnish but as you’ll read below it’s already quite hot.

THE TASTE

As the Ayam label says this is a Malaysian laksa, which I think are spicy rather than creamy. In terms of taste the shrimp paste definitely stands out above the galangal and lemongrass.

The Ayam laksa paste is definitely spicy. Not for mild folks at all. It’s up there with the Nasi Goreng paste by Ayam which was incredibly spicy, even in small doses.

I tried the soup before serving and noticed it’s both very spicy and not very creamy. I only had a little bit (30mL) of coconut milk left over so I added that to help a little.

When I ate it I got a runny nose (chilli nose) and by the end I was left with my mouth burning and lips tingling.

Suffice to say this is not suitable for kids. I don’t think you could dilute this enough either, maybe by using half the paste for two serves rather than the whole jar as advised.

THE VERDICT

I don’t think I’d buy this again. My memories of laksa are quite different, I think perhaps the Singapore style which is much more mild and creamy. For me this is too fishy and too spicy to be enjoyable.

WHERE CAN I BUY Ayam laksa paste?

Ayam products are available in the big two supermarkets as well as IGA and other independent grocers. If you’re struggling to find the laksa paste I’d recommend checking out your local Asian grocery store. These stores usually have the full range of Ayam products.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Gluten free: Legit GF, Coeliac Australian endorsed.
Vegetarian / vegan: No, it contains shrimp paste.
Allergens: Soy, crustacean.  Made in a facility that processes peanuts.
Serving size: Two.

For more reviews of gluten free Asian meal kits check out Mr Chen’s Thai basil chilli or the delicious beef pho also by Mr Chen’s.

I’ve also reviewed Ayam’s Thai green curry paste!