Asam Laksa
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Asam laksa is a spicy, sweet and sour fish-based noodle soup. "Asam" refers to tamarind in Malay and is one of the key ingredients to the dish. There are many different versions of asam laksa and in my opinion, "Penang asam laksa" is one of the more popular ones. Penang has been well known as the food capital of Malaysia, and this year, Penang was voted by Lonely Planet as the top food destination! That makes this recipe a must try! Haha.
The key ingredients to an asam laksa include shredded mackerel, tamarind, Vietnamese mint leaves (daun kesom), wild ginger buds (bunga kantan) and various finely sliced vegetables. It is also usually topped with a thick shrimp paste (he-ko) for added oomph. Unfortunately, there are some ingredients that I couldn't find in my local grocery stores (i.e. wild ginger buds) and I had to make do without them =(
The key ingredients to an asam laksa include shredded mackerel, tamarind, Vietnamese mint leaves (daun kesom), wild ginger buds (bunga kantan) and various finely sliced vegetables. It is also usually topped with a thick shrimp paste (he-ko) for added oomph. Unfortunately, there are some ingredients that I couldn't find in my local grocery stores (i.e. wild ginger buds) and I had to make do without them =(
Ingredients:
Spice Paste:
Other ingredients:
Garnishing:
** I skipped using wild ginger buds (bunga kantan) and thick shrimp paste (he-ko) |
In the meantime, shred some mackerel. I was lazy and I bought canned mackerel. Be sure to remove any bones that could be in the can of mackerel.
If you are hardworking, you could also opt to use a mackerel and boil it in water (after all, this is supposed to be a fish-based noodle soup!). Remove the fish and shred it. Keep 4 cups of fish stock for later use. |
I then added in 4 cups of water to the spice paste that I have been frying.
At this time, I added in the concentrated tamarind juice. I would have used tamarind paste (the ones that comes with seed and is highly concentrated) but I couldn't find it in my local grocery store. Or maybe, I didn't search hard enough, oh well. Let the soup/stock come to a boil. Then, add in the shredded mackerel. Season the stock with fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. |