Laksa
Laksa (叻沙; pinyin: lèshā) is a famous Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) noodle soup from Malaysia and Singapore. The name may originate from the Sanskrit word laksha (लक्ष), meaning "many" and referring to the soup's many ingredients; the word is also the origin of the Hindi term lakh.Laksa is essential curry noodles. It should be noted that Peranakan or nonya laksa is not easily available as Peranakan eateries are not common in Malaysia and Singapore. The laksa that is widely available at eateries is the non-Peranakan laksa or curry laksa.
Laksa consists of noodles and various other condiments served in a rich spicy gravy. Usually, thick rice noodles known as laksa noodles are preferred, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon) can also be used, and is in fact preferred for Sarawak laksa. The exact nature of the gravy and condiments varies depending on the part of Malaysia or Singapore that the laksa originates from.
The main ingredients for most version of laksa includes tofu puffs, fish sticks, shrimps and cockles. Some vendor may sell chicken laksa which will use chicken instead of shrimps. Cockles is mandatory in laksa as no vendor will sell laksa without cockles unless the customer request not to have cockles for health reasons.
Types of Laksa
There are 2 types of laksa: laksa or asam laksa. They differ in taste and ingredients but since they share the common name "laksa", they are discussed here. The differences between laksa and asam laksa are as follows:
Variants
The varieties of laksa include:
- Laksa lemak, also known as nonya laksa, is a type of laksa served in a rich coconut gravy. Lemak is a culinary description in Malay which specifically refers to the presence of coconut cream (the pressed "milk" of the grated flesh of a fresh coconut) which adds a distinctive richness to a dish. As the name implies, it is made with a rich, slightly sweet and strongly spiced coconut gravy with cockles or prawns.
- Katong laksa is a variant of laksa lemak from the Katong area of Singapore. In Katong laksa, the noodles are normally cut up into smaller pieces so that the entire dish can be eaten with a spoon alone (that is, without chopsticks or a fork). Katong laksa is a strong contender for the heavily competed title of Singapore's national dish.
- Penang laksa, also known as asam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel (ikan kembung) soup and its main distinguishing feature is the asam or tamarind which gives the soup a sour taste. The fish is poached and then flaked. Other ingredients that give Penang laksa its distinctive flavour include lemongrass, galangal (lengkuas) and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, hε-ko, a thick sweet prawn paste and use of lotus flower.
- Johor laksa, from Johor state in southern Malaysia, resembles Penang laksa only in the kind of fish used but differs in everything else. Johor laksa has coconut milk, use 'kerisik', dried prawns, lemon grass, galangal and spices akin to curry. The garnishing comprises of slices of onion, beansprouts (taugeh), mint leaves, Vietnamese coriander or 'daun kesum', cucumber and pickled white radish. A dab of shrimp paste (sambal belacan) is placed on the side. Finally, just before eating, freshly squeezed lime juice is sprinkled on the dish. Unlike other laksa versions, Johor laksa has an Italian connection - it uses spaghetti instead of the normal rice noodles or vermicelli.
- Ipoh laksa, from the Malaysian city of Ipoh, is similar to Penang laksa but has a more sour (rather than sweet) taste. The soup stock contains prawn paste.
- Sarawak laksa comes from the town of Kuching in the Malaysian state Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. It has a base of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, lemon grass and coconut milk; topped with beansprouts, omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime.
- Perlis laksa is very similar to Penang laksa and only differs in the garnishing used. Sliced boiled eggs are usually added to the dish.
- Laksam is made with very thick flat white rice flour noodles in a gravy of boiled fish and coconut milk. Traditionally laksam is eaten with hands rather than with eating utensils due to the gravy's thick consistency.
In addition, the Burmese noodle dish mohinga is similar to laksa.
Laksa yong tao foo consists of firm tofu and vegetables, both stuffed with fish paste, serve in a bowl of laksa lemak gravy.
Laksa is traditionally garnished with laksa leaf (Malay daun kesum, Latin Persicaria odorata), also known as Vietnamese coriander or Vietnamese mint.