Penang Assam Laksa (亞參叻沙)

Also known as assam laksa, it originated from the Malaysian island of Penang and is actually a nonya dish. It is a fish-based soup and its main distinguishing feature is the assam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. Assam laksa is normally served with a special thick rice noodle and finely sliced vegetables including cucumber, onions, red chilli, pineapple and mint leaves. The fish used is the ikan kembong or mackerel. When I was living in England, it was impossible to find ikan kembong so I substituted with canned sardines. Then I discovered canned mackerel which makes the soup more delicious so that is what I use these days even though fresh ikan kembong is readily available in the market.

If using fresh fish, gut and clean the fish then gently simmer in boiling water until cooked. Remove the fish and flake off the meat. Be careful to remove the bones properly. Keep the water to use as stock. I find this a very tedious process especially if there is no one to help you.

I prefer to use canned mackerel because it is faster to open the can than to poach the fish. Also there are fewer bones to remove and the small amount of tomato sauce adds to the sour taste.

After removing the bones, flake the meat into bite size pieces.



To make the soup

Chili paste made with
Shallots, garlic, turmeric and lemon grass stalks

One large bundle of daun kesum
10 -15 pieces of tamarind slices (add extra if you like it more sour)
2 bunga kantan – I prefer to add this to the soup as it makes the soup more fragrant.

Put all the above ingredients into a pot of boiling water. Add one ikan bilis stock cube. Bring to the boil and lower the flame after 10 minutes. Simmer the stock until fragrant. Add the fish and simmer for another hour.


The garnishing that accompanies the noodles

Cucumber strips
Pineapple strips
Bombay onion slices
Red chilli slices
Mint leaves

A must have shrimp paste (petis udang or hae ko) to add oomph to the dish.

Fresh laksa noodles.

If you cannot find the fresh noodles, you can use the dry variety. You need to soak it first and then quickly cook it in boiling water. When I was in London, I use spaghetti instead as I could not get the fresh or dry laksa noodles.

When the soup is ready, put the noodles into a bowl, add garnishing and pour the soup over it.