Asam Laksa

Asam Laksa

Asam Laksa is a sour, fish and tamarind-based soup. Asam is the Malay word for any ingredients that makes a dish tastes sour (e.g. tamarind, gelugur or kokum). Laksa typically uses asam keping, known as kokum in the English speaking world, which is a type of dried slices of sour mangosteens. The modern Malay spelling is asam, though the spelling assam is still frequently used.

The main ingredients for Asam Laksa include shredded fish, normally kembung (small mackerel of the Rastrelliger genus), and finely sliced vegetables including cucumber, onions, red chillies, pineapple, lettuce, common mint, daun kesum (Vietnamese mint or laksa mint) and pink bunga kantan (torch ginger).

Asam Laksa is normally served with either thick rice noodles or thin rice noodles (vermicelli).

And topped off with petis udang or "hae ko" (蝦羔), a thick sweet prawn/shrimp paste. Penang Asam Laksa listed at number 26th on World's 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011.

Variants of Asam Laksa include:

Penang Laksa (Malay: Laksa Pulau Pinang), also known as asam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the asam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, hae-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not 'curry mee' is the usual 'laksa' one gets in Penang.

Perlis Laksa (Malay: Laksa Perlis) is similar to Penang Laksa but differs in garnishing used such as catfish and eel fish. The famous Perlis laksa can be found in Kuala Perlis.

Kedah Laksa (Malay: Laksa Kedah) is very similar to Penang laksa and only differs in the garnishing used. Sliced boiled eggs are usually added to the dish. Kedah laksa used rice to make a laksa noodle. The famous laksa in Kedah is Laksa Telok Kechai.

Ipoh Laksa (Malay: Laksa Ipoh), from the Malaysian city of Ipoh, is similar to Penang laksa but has a more sour (rather than sweet) taste, and contains prawn paste.

Kuala Kangsar Laksa (Malay: Laksa Kuala Kangsar), made of wheat flour (usually hand made). The soup is rather lighter than the common laksa taste and so much different from Ipoh Laksa in shape, taste and smell. The local municipal council even built a complex called "Kompleks Cendol dan Laksa" near the river bank of the Perak River. It is the main attraction for tourists in Kuala Kangsar.

Medan Laksa (Indonesian: Laksa Medan), from Indonesian city of Medan, North Sumatra. Quite similar to asam laksa from Penang right across the strait, which also uses flaked ikan kembung (mackerel), kecombrang (wild ginger flower), lemongrass and chili pepper. It is quite differ however, by using asam gelugur instead of asam jawa (tamarind), turmeric, adding terasi (shrimp paste), shallot, garlic and key lime.