Laksa belongs to the Peranakan, whose cooking joins Chinese and Malay flavours; Katong laksa is the version born in the Katong district east of the centre. The coconut-milk broth is thickened with ground dried shrimp, which gives it a faintly sandy texture, and the noodles are cut short so the whole bowl is eaten with a spoon alone, topped with prawns and fragrant laksa leaves.