How to Laksa
Assam Laksa from Penang Road Famous Laksa
A quick crank of the Google machine throws up untold varieties of laksa, most from regional Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia. The lovely creamy, version most of us know is Singapore-style ‘curry laksa’ or laksa lemak; differences amongst all the variants broadly come down to spicing, noodles, gravy-thickness and the types of proteins and vegetables added. For example laksam, from northeastern Malaysia, is so thick it’s traditionally eaten with hands; teluk kechai laksa is a sour, tamarind based laksa made using eel and served with coconut sambal, while Tangerang laksa, from Indonesia, contains potato, grated coconut and green beans. It’s fascinating stuff.
In Singapore, laksa lemak features that oomphy, creamy, curried gravy, rounded, fresh rice noodles with a little bite (overcooked ones are unpleasantly mushy), local cockles, prawn, sliced bean curd puff and maybe strips of fresh, just-cooked squid. Some vendors throw in slices of fish ball, hard boiled egg or even bits of crab stick. Bean sprouts, finely shredded laksa leaf (Vietnamese mint) and a blob of chilli-hot sambal go on top. The secret to the alluring flavour is quality coconut milk for the gravy and a freshly-made – not commercial – spice paste base (called the rempah). And a decent sambal.
The rempah, considered the ‘soul’ of laksa, is a pounded mix of galangal, candle nuts, dried chillies, lemongrass, shallots, belacan, turmeric, garlic and dried spices, which vary. Purists insist a mortar and pestle makes for the best-tasting paste but a food processor does the trick too. Recipes differ among vendors so taste and texture are not 100% consistent – equally true of versions in our own cities.
While laksa lemak is easily found outside of Singapore or Malaysia, you really have to look for assam (or ‘Penang’) laksa. Sweet-sourish from tamarind (‘assam’ signifies tamarind) and featuring an earthy, brackish broth built on mushed-up mackerel, it’s punchy ingredients (Vietnamese mint, lemongrass, belacan, turmeric and ginger flower (bunga kantan) that give it a distinctive tang and heady, herbal floweriness. Chopped ginger flower is a raw garnish, along with toppings like cucumber and pineapple, chopped chilli, mint leaves and sliced shallot. With complex aromas and flavours, there’s nothing quite like it. Especially when eaten at the source in Penang, where you’ll get a splodge of heh ko, a type of local prawn paste, in your spoon. The idea is to stir it in, although modern tastes have swung against it somewhat. It’s strong!
The noodles used in assam laksa are thickish, round rice ones and while they’re chewy and satisfying, this laksa is all about the complex broth. In Penang you find it all over the place although locals grizzle that a good one is getting rarer – many vendors put too much sugar in, use inferior ingredients or skimp on the mackerel, they reckon.
It’s hard to recreate assam laksa as some of the vital, fresh ingredients can be difficult to find. Laksa lemak however is pretty easy to make; don’t let the list of ingredients daunt you. Making the paste is a relatively fast process once you’ve got all the ingredients assembled. You can make it in advance too – it will keep in the fridge for 5-6 days, no worries. Or, make multiples of the paste recipe at the same time and freeze some for later use. If you can’t get, or dont like, fish balls or tofu puffs, just leave them out. And just throw the sprouts on top unblanched if you like – many places do. As always, homemade chicken stock works best but hey, if that’s not going to happen, no judgement. Just take care with commercial liquid stocks and powders as they can be quite salty, so taste as you go.
Laksa Lemak from Qiji, Jalan Pesar branch, Singapore
LAKSA LEMAK
Serves 4 | Prep time: 45 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
60ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken stock
1 tbsp finely chopped palm sugar
400g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1cm thick slices
12 large raw king prawns (about 500g), peeled and cleaned with tails left intact
500ml (2 cups) coconut milk
12 purchased fish balls (about 150g)
150g fried tofu puffs, sliced
200g (2½ cups) beansprouts
500g fresh thin rice noodles
fried Asian shallots, Vietnamese mint leaves, purchased chilli sambal and lime wedges, to serve
Spice paste
8 small dried red chillies
2 tbsp dried shrimp
1 tbsp belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste)
5 red Asian shallots, (about 60g), coarsely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped galangal
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and chopped
6 candlenuts, coarsely chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp each sweet paprika, ground cumin and turmeric
For the spice paste, put the chillies and dried shrimp in separate small bowls, add enough boiling water to cover, then stand for 20 minutes or until softened. Drain well. Meanwhile, wrap the belacan in foil. Heat a small, heavy-based frypan over medium heat, add the belacan, then dry-fry for 5 minutes, turning often, or until fragrant. Cool. Combine with the drained chilli, dried shrimp and the remaining ingredients in a small food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. Alternatively, use a mortar and pestle.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the chicken stock and palm sugar, then bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Add the chicken, return to a simmer, then cook for about 3 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked through. Add the prawns, cook for another minute, or until the prawns are half cooked.
Add the coconut milk, fish balls, tofu puffs and beansprouts. Stir gently to combine, then bring the laska just to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, or until the prawns are cooked through, the bean sprouts have wilted and the fish balls and tofu are heated through.
Meanwhile, place the noodles in a large bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover, then stand for 2 minutes or until heated through. Drain well. Divide the noodles and laksa among large bowls, then scatter with fried shallots and Vietnamese mint leaves to taste. Serve immediately with chilli sambal, and lime wedges for squeezing over.
NOTE: this recipe uses the Australian (20ml) tablespoon measurement. For New Zealand cooks, simply add another teaspoonful!
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