Asam Laksa
Penang's sour fish noodle soup, its name from the Malay word for sour (asam), genuinely distinct from the site's existing coconut-curry laksa rather than a variant of it: asam laksa is entirely coconut-free, built on flaked poached mackerel or sardine stock soured with tamarind slices and pulp, aromatic with daun kesum and galangal. Real versions use flaked whole fish folded into the broth, not shrimp, and finish with a drizzle of thick prawn paste (hae ko) and torch ginger flower, both real finishing touches often skipped in simplified versions.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Fish, Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 500g mackerel or sardines
- 200g thick rice vermicelli (laksa noodles)
- 3 tbsp tamarind pulp, plus 2 tamarind slices
- 6 dried chiles, soaked
- 4 shallots
- 3 slices galangal
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 1 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste)
- Daun kesum (or Vietnamese mint)
- 1/2 pineapple, sliced thin
- 1 cucumber, julienned
- Red onion, mint, lettuce, to serve
- Hae ko (prawn paste), to garnish
Steps
- Poach the fish in water, remove and flake, reserving the stock.
- Blend the chiles, shallots, galangal, lemongrass, and belacan into a paste, then fry until fragrant.
- Return the paste to the stock with the tamarind, and simmer 30-40 minutes.
- Season with sugar and salt, and add the flaked fish back in.
- Serve over noodles with pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint, lettuce, and a drizzle of hae ko.