In Singapore, when you ask people about laksa, at the top of most people's minds is Katong laksa. A lot have been written and broadcasted in the media about it. Maybe, it is the best known laksa in the world.
In Johor Bahru, there are two main types of laksa.
There's laksa Johor which is a gazetted Johor Heritage Food. It is spaghetti smothered in a thick sauce of ground fish, coconut milk, shredded coconut, herbs, aromatics and spices. I have a detailed article on laksa Johor here 👈
Then, there is a curry laksa which I feel is also representative of Johor Bahru as it is homegrown, and has distinguishable unique features that clearly set it apart from versions of laksa from other places (such as Singapore or Penang).
It is also embedded deeply in Johor Bahru's history.
It is 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew Laksa, also known as Cathay Laksa and Johor Laksa.
宽柔 Foon Yew is the Chinese school in Johor Bahru founded in 1913. What has it got to do with curry laksa in Johor?
In the 1930s, before the Japanese Occupation (1942 - 1945), a man from Guangxi province of China taught grandpa Yong a curry laksa recipe before going back to China. Grandpa Yong is labeled A in above photo.
In those days, most people from China who came to Nanyang to work had every intention to return home after earning some money.
It is unclear from where did the Guangxi man learned the curry laksa recipe. It was probably from the Peranakan as it is similar to Katong laksa in taste profile though it has its own unique features (shall go into these in detail later in this article).
With this recipe grandpa Yong ran a laksa stall at 宽柔 Foon Yew School. At that time, the school was in a house belonging to the Kapitan Cina, Tan Hiok Nee. The stall was in the void space under the house which was built on stilts. At that time, the school was located at 77, Jalan Trus, just beside the Johor Ancient Temple 柔佛古廟.
Hence, grandpa Yong's curry laksa became known as 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa, the laksa at 宽柔 Foon Yew School.
Then the Japanese came between 1942 and 1945. It was a time of deprivation for local people.
After the war in 1946, a Mdm Lee approached grandpa Yong for help to learn his curry laksa recipe. Kind grandpa Yong agreed on the condition that Mdm Lee plied her business away from his own stall at 宽柔 Foon Yew.
Mdm Lee learned the recipe and sold curry laksa along Jalan Trus.
Grandpa Yong's grandson still serve 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa at Sam Kong restaurant, a simple shop house eatery.
Mdm Lee's son and wife still serve 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa at a stall at Kee Kim Huat coffee shop at Taman Seri Terbrau.
They still use Mdm Lee's original recipe which is written in the old receipts of spices she bought from spice shops that used to operate at Jalan Trus.
Mdm Lee's daughter and husband sells 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa at Shang Li coffee shop at Jalan Lumba Kuda.
It is known as Cathay Laksa as this stall used to operate at the now demolished Cathay cinema in downtown JB. (Cathay cinema was demolished to make way for the current Custom Immigration Quarantine building. Its memory still alive in every bowl of Cathay Laksa.)
Mdm Lee's grand daughter ran a pushcart stall serving the same laksa at the popular back lane stall behind Standard Chartered Bank branch off the Terbrau Highway. The laksa stall is now closed.
So what is 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa like?
It is noodles submerged in an anchovy and soy bean stock with coconut milk and spices. It is topped with fried fish ball, fried tofu, fried tofu skin and fresh blood cockles.
Instead of only laksa noodles which by definition is the round thick rice noodle (vermicelli), 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa is served with options for bee hoon, yellow noodles and even kway teow kia.
The curry has an anchovy, soy bean base stock overlaid with coconut milk, spices and aromatics. So, even though its body is not as heavy as other lemak curries, it has good depth of savoury umami and sweet flavours undergirding the spice flavours. I enjoy this as it is drinkable and flavourful without being overly rich.
Blood cockles so essential to Katong laksa is also found in 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa. Peranakans on the other hand will swear that original Nyonya laksa do not have blood cockles. Indeed, grandpa Yong's 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa did not have cockles but was added later in response to customer preference.
In Johor Bahru, the hawkers often shell their own blood cockles from live mollusks (no dead ones supplied in sealed plastic bags).
There's fried tofu cube. Soft tender and has the taste and aroma of fresh soy beans.
Crispy squares of fried tofu skin.
Then, there's fried fish balls. Some laksa hawkers still make and fry their own fish balls. They are made with either yellowtail fish or wolf herring fish. Sometimes, the fishballs are made with shark meat.
As a fish ball lover, for me with these fried fish balls 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa really one-upped other laksa varieties. Fried fishballs have nice contrasting tender leathery chewy textures to the bite with savoury salty and fresh fish flavours.
One thing about 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew laksa though, there is no daun kesum (laksa leaf) considered a definitive ingredient for Singapore's Katong laksa 🤔
If the curry doesn't give you enough kick, there's sambal to help with a spicy boost.
Another Foon Yew laksa known as 寬中辣沙 has also become very popular. This stall was founded in 1976 and first operated at Foon Yew School (after the Yongs moved out of the school). It differs from the Yong and Lee variety by serving the curry noodles with many different yong tau foo type of sides as well as seafood such as baby octopus, prawns, scallops, clams, dried squid, etc.
Water Works Laksa House 水塘辣沙 is also similar to 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew Laksa. But, it offers a side dish of excellent otak otak.
Another laksa stalwart is Tampoi laksa. It is also very similar to 宽柔叻沙 Foon Yew Laksa.
Lee Kee Laksa at Taman Seri Tebraui run by Mdm Lee's son and daughter-in-law
Sam Kong Laksa at Kampung Ungku Mohsin run grandpa Yong's grandson.
Written by Tony Boey on 31 Mar 2026
Who is Tony Johor Kaki?
Curry Laksa Story from Johor • Cathay Laksa
During my foodspotting in Johor Bahru, I have tried many curry laksa stalls from the famous to the obscure. All the curry laksa stalls have their own stories. This is just one of the many stories - the story behind four of the most popular curry laksa stalls in Johor Bahru today.
My curiosity was piqued when I noticed that the laksa of Lee Kee, Tan Kee, Sam Kong and the laksa stall at Siak Hong are very similar.
They all use a soup base made by boiling anchovies and soy beans just like those at old school wanton mee stalls and fish ball noodle stalls. To the lightly umami flavoured soup base, they add curry spices and santan (coconut milk).
While the curry broth is not very lemak, it has body and is savoury umami, flavourful and fragrant. Personally, I like this curry as its body come from anchovies and soy beans rather than rely heavily on sweet milky santan.
They all have this thin and crispy fried tofu skin served with the curry laksa.
The curry laksa comes with these handmade fried Ikan Parang fish balls.
The fish balls have good mouth feel and release a nice, distinct fish flavour and aroma with every bite. The stall holders make these fish balls from fresh Ikan Parang fish everyday.
The curry laksa comes with fried fresh tofu. A layer of rough fried brown skin with the white inside still soft and smells of soy beans - the kind of aroma you get at tau huay stalls (bean curd).
The curry laksa comes with fresh cockles (see hum) which the hawkers shell daily.
I stumbled upon their story when I visited Sam Kong restaurant run by Mr. Yong in Kampung Ungku Mohsin.
Mr. Yong was showing me some of the curry spices that are used to make the laksa curry.
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| Johor Laksa Pioneers. A - Mr. Yong's grandfather. B - Mr. Yong's father. (Photo credit: Thanks to Joan, the great-great-granddaughter of old Mr. Yong.) |
Mr. Yong's grandfather used to run the laksa stall at the Foon Yew school which used to be in a bungalow belonging to Tan Hiok Nee, the Kapitan Cina at the time. The school tuck shop was in the void under the bungalow which was on stilts.
The Japanese came in 1942 and left only 3 years later. After the war, at the request of his neighbour Mdm Lee, Mr. Yong's grandfather taught her the curry laksa recipe on the condition that she does not sell her curry laksa on the same street at Jalan Trus.
So, hardy Mdm Lee balanced the heavy pots of curry laksa across her shoulders and sold laksa by walking the streets of Johor Bahru.
Today, Mr. Yong who runs Sam Kong restaurant at #8-H, Jalan Ungku Mohsin still uses the same curry laksa recipe handed down by his grandfather.
Mdm Lee in turn spun off three stalls.
Today, Mdm Lee's son and daughter-in-law carry on the Lee Kee brand at Kee Kim Huat kopitiam at #80, Jalan Badik in Taman Sri Tebrau.
One of Mdm Lee's daughters and one of her workers are now the cheerful husband and wife team running Tan Kee in Shang Ji kopitiam at #149, Jalan Lumba Kuda. Tan Kee is famously known as Cathay Laksa because they used to run the stall near the now demolished Cathay cinema.
Mdm Lee's niece runs the popular laksa stall at what locals call "Siak Hong", the dozen of back lane stalls behind the Standard Charter Bank off Jalan Tebrau (opposite Plaza Pelangi). She also uses the brand name "Cathay Laksa".
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thanks for the laksa johor story.... just feel the 3 of them taste almost the same
ReplyDeleteYes, I find it amazing that they all keep to the recipe faithfully all these years. Kudus to them :)
DeleteHye johor kaki..is it halal for muslim? Tq ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's non Halal.
DeleteWhat's the verdict for the curry laksa shop along jln kolam air, neighbouring klinik thiru and 7-11
ReplyDeleteIt's good too. I like it.
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