Laksa

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper (we used white pepper, but you can also use black pepper), and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes

Remove from the oven and set aside

While the chicken is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large saucepan or medium pot over medium heat

Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute

Add the minced lemongrass and chilies, and cook for 3 minutes

Add the laksa paste and brown sugar

Fry for another 3 minutes, letting all the flavors meld together

Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce

Bring to a boil

Add the soy puffs, cover, and allow to simmer for 10 minutes

Meanwhile, rinse the noodles in warm water (for cooked hokkien noodles or rice vermicelli) or prepare according to package instructions (for fresh or dried wheat noodles)

Distribute among four large noodle soup bowls

Shred the cooked chicken and skin and distribute among the bowls

Pour any juices from the roasting pan into the broth

(You can even use a little bit of warm water to scrape any lingering tasty bits off the parchment paper)

Season the broth with lime juice and more fish sauce to taste, until your broth has reached your desired levels of saltiness/sourness

If you would rather not use fish sauce as your salting agent (it can be quite pungent to some palates), season with salt instead

Meanwhile, toss the thinly sliced shallots in flour until they’re lightly coated

In a cast iron pan, heat an additional 2 tablespoons oil

Fry the shallots until crispy and set aside

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and sear them in the same oil you used to cook the shallots, just until they’re cooked through

To assemble the laksa, pour the broth over the noodles and chicken, and add a couple pieces of soy puff to each

Top with the cooked shrimp, bean sprouts, cilantro, and fried shallots

Serve with extra lime wedges, and enjoy!