Posted on 04/17/2023 1:53:55 PM PDT by nickcarraway
This often-spicy comfort food has a common base, with variations reflecting flavors of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and more
It may be the theme of noodle soup taken to its international, ultimate and yet entirely logical extreme. It may also be the most approachably delicious dish you’ve never heard of: laksa.
In reality, laksa is not a single dish, but an array of different but related Southeast Asian noodle soup dishes particularly popular in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. All forms of laksa feature noodles of some type with toppings like chicken, shrimp and/or fish in either a rich and often spicy coconut soup or a sour tamarind-based broth. Laksa leaves, an herb sometimes called Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese cilantro, rau răm, or various other names, are often used as a topping, too.
The origins of laksa lie with the Peranakans, a people descended from early Chinese settlers along various Southeast Asian coastal areas. While the specific origin of laksa remains sharply disputed, the interaction between the Peranakans and their hosts in Singapore and the nearby state of Malacca is thought to have led to its development. Oddly, the name “laksa” appears to come from the ancient Persian or Hindi words for “noodles.” Ultimately, the character of laksa seems to be defined by the crashing together and blending of these various ethnic communities.
It is generally recognized that there are two primary forms of laksa: Singaporean-style Curry Laksa and the tamarind-based Assam Laksa of Malaysia. Curry Laksa is a coconut milk-based curry soup featuring noodles, fried tofu (sometimes called “bean curd puffs”), fish cakes, shrimp and cockles (or other small clams) along with the pronounced flavor of curry from chiles, as well as ginger, galangal (a root that looks similar to ginger but has a citrusy flavor and a hint of piney sweetness) and lemon grass.
Assam Laksa generally does not include coconut milk or curry flavors. It features a lighter broth including the sour flavors of tamarind along with fish and torch ginger flower. The latter features a sweet, gingerlike taste that serves to tame some of the fishy flavors that feature in the broth of Assam Laksa. Torch ginger flower is prevalent in Southeast Asia, though a bit harder to get in Southern California. Specialty Produce (a local wholesale distributor to the restaurant industry that also sells retail) sometimes carries it.
The spread of laksa throughout Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, though, defies any simplistic attempts to categorize each and every version as falling into one of those two camps. For example, Sarawak Laksa (from the Malaysian state of the same name) contains coconut milk but no curry flavors. Bogor Laksa, from West Java, is similar to Sarawak Laksa but features less fishy flavors. Every region, if not every town, has its own version of laksa. Even the Wikipedia listing on laksa identifies at least 32 variations, and that is probably a drop in the proverbial bucket.
Perhaps not surprisingly — given that so many cities, regions and nations can stake a claim to laksa — Malaysia sought to do just that in 2009, to the exclusion of others. Then-Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Ng Yen Yen, asserted that Singapore (among other neighboring countries) had “hijacked [Malaysia’s] dish” and that “we cannot continue to let other countries hijack our food.” The small-scale food fight died down eventually, as those things tend to do, but it highlighted the importance of the dish to the identity of the lands that lay claim to it. They’re not the only ones who recognized that importance. For example, CNN Travel honored Assam Laksa as No. 7 on its list of the world’s 50 best foods.
At base, regardless of whether a laksa is going in the curry or the Assam Laksa direction, there are a few basic moving parts: a broth, a spice/laksa paste, noodles and toppings. For Singaporean-style Curry Laksa, the broth tends to be based on shrimp shells, water and chicken stock. For Assam Laksa, the broth is based on fresh mackerel (though frozen or even canned will do) with both tamarind and torch ginger flower featuring in the broth.
“Soodle”?
It's dinner time.
I'm having a low blood sugar 'event'.
Pity he didn't put his foot down when it came to airliners.
At least it wasn’t Poodle.
Pho tai nam please
What? You don’t know what to do with the three seashells?
HAHAHAHAHahahahahahahahaha!!!
He doesn’t know about the three seashells!
You sure??
Lol... :)
Better than Pho? Ramen?
To me, Laksa is much better than pho and Ramen
Prima Taste Brand Laksa La Mian is the bomb and that’s before even doctoring it up with veggies, shrimp..... The whole grain version is supposed to be even better but I haven’t found it stateside.
I’ll have to give it a try.
Are there any national brand restaurants that you recommend?
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