Assam Laksa

Keeping all fingers and toes crossed (plus praying ++), a flat near the London Bridge will hopefully be our permanent residence for the year. A very kind friend in London offered to check the place out for us today, so I will know by 11pm tonight. I have spent the last 5 nights calling different estate agencies in London to enquire about flats, only to be told that they have already been let! It was very stressful and disappointing, and does nothing for my fragile obsessive compulsive personality. They should really just take it off the advertising sites once it has been let. What a waste of my time.

Anyway, laksas are very popular in Malaysia. But every state has its own signature style.  I was born in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Kuching laksa has a prawn and coconut based soup served with thin rice noodles, which is typically a popular breakast dish. Curry laksa, a thick curry base served with chicken and Hokkien noodles is popular in Kuala Lumpur. Har Mee is another type of laksa, which is a thin soup with a mix of Hokkien Noodles and rice noodles.

Assam Laksa, however, originated from Penang, the hometown of my husband's family. I would say that Assam Laksa has the most distinct (acquired) taste out of all the laksas. I wonder if it was influenced by Thai cooking, considering Penang is bordering Thailand. It is the only laksa that uses daun kesum which is mint leaves and also is garnished with pineapple pieces. Assam which means tamarind is what makes the broth sweet and sour. I think the fish used is normally mackerel, but I just use canned sardines in tomato sauce.

Anyway, if you like to try some laksas in Melbourne, Straits Cafe in Doncaster does a decent Assam Laksa and Har Mee. This is my version of Assam Laksa.

Assam Laksa Recipe

1 packet Assam Laksa Powder Hup Loong Brand
1 can ( I think it is 375g ??)  Ayam Brand Sardines in tomato sauce, mashed in a bowl
5 large onions, peeled and pureed in a blender
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1 packet dry fat rice noodles (also known as Lai Fun), soaked in water and boiled in hot water until soft.

Garnish:
Mint leaves (came from the garden!)
pineapple pieces (I just use canned pineapples)
1 onion thinly sliced
1 cucumber, cut into thin strips using a mandolin

Place the assam laksa powder, onion, sardines and 2 litres of water in a large pot. Bring to boil and simmer for 40 mins. Add sugar, tamarind and tomato paste. Add salt to taste. (Make sure you taste it, add more sugar/tamarind to get the right sweet and sour consistency. Also, add more tomato paste if the colour is a bit dull).
Place cooked noodles in bowls. Pour hot soup on top of noodles and serve with the garnishes.

Note: All above ingredients easily available at Chinese groceries