Curry Laksa – there’s always been a bit of confusion whenever people from Singapore or elsewhere from Malaysia order this dish in Penang.

Doing so will almost certainly see them getting served with another dish, “Asam Laksa”. The fact is, in Penang, what the rest of Malaysia and Singapore known as “Curry Laksa” we call “Curry Noodle” or “Curry Mee”.

Penang Curry Noodle is a dish that’s unique to Malaysia and Singapore. How do we determine a good curry noodle? Fresh ingredients are important, but the main thing that elevates a curry noodle into the realm of “really good” is the base soup.

Every hawker has their own recipe to make the curry paste used in the soup. The most famous Curry Noodle hawker in Penang is the Lorong Seratus Tahun Curry Mee (literal translation – ‘One Hundred Years Curry Noodle Lane’). The crowds build up faster than ants around spilled honey, and every time you pop by, the seats are always taken. If you happen to be traveling to Penang, try to make time for a good Curry Noodle here – after you’ve tasted it, you’ll agree with me that the waiting time is a small price to pay. It’s that good!

Now, here comes the great part. If you’re strapped for time, or just want to stay at home for a great meal, then you can make your own Penang Curry Noodle with using our curry paste. It will only take 20 minutes (and maybe even less) to make the base soup and prepare the other ingredients – and then you’ll have your own home-made and mouth-watering Penang Curry Noodle. Another way, which I’m fond of doing myself, is to just replace the flavouring sachet and use Nyor Nyar’s Penang Curry Noodle Paste when making myself a hot cup of instant noodles.