Penang Asam/Assam Laksa (Sour and Spicy Fish Noodle Soup)
Servings: 6 servings
Asam laksa is a popular Indonesian and Malaysian food. Totally different with curry laksa you have heard of. Sweet and sour (can be spicy too) fish soup with its distinctive flavor from torch ginger buds is served with thick round noodles and aromatic herb like fresh mints.
Print Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 gr mackerel fish gutted, or you can use canned sardines in tomato sauce
- 500 gr thick rice noodles cook according to instruction on the package
Soup base:
- 10 cups water
- 3 stalks lemongrass cut into half and bruise with heavy object
- 5 pieces asam gelugur / dried tamarind peel
- 50 gr tamarind paste
- 1 Tbsp shrimp paste
- 3 pieces dried bunga kencong if you use fresh you only need 1 fresh flower
Seasonings:
- 5 Tbsp sugar or more to taste
- Salt to taste
Spices and herbs to grind into paste:
- 100 gr red chilies fresh or dried (soak in warm water if using dried chilies)
- 150 gr shallots or use purple onion
- 25 gr garlic
- 25 gr galangal skinned
Serve with (the amount is just a guide, you can use more as you wish):
- 50 gr hae ko (petis udang) + 1 Tbsp hot water
- 1 large cucumber julienned
- 1 large purple onion thinly sliced
- 1 bunch fresh mint leaves
- 1 ginger flower finely chopped
- 100 gr pineapple chunks
- 1 head lettuce shredded
- 1 lime quartered
Instructions
Prepare the ground spices and herbs:
- Ground all the spices and herbs. Add a bit of water to help it going
Prepare the soup base:
- Bring 10 cups of water to boil and lower the heat to medium-low to let the mackerel fish simmer for 10 minutes. If the size of the mackerel is smaller, you may only need 6-8 minutes or until you can easily flake the meat with a fork, you are done cooking.
- Remove the fish from the liquid. Once cool enough to handle, flake the fish meat and set aside, save the bones and head. If you are using canned mackerel, they are already cooked and you can skip this step
- Add the ground spices and herbs, fish bones, and the rest of the ingredients for soup base. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and then strain the stock and discard all the solids
- Stir the flaked fish back into the soup. Season the soup base with seasonings and adjust to your taste. The soup should be sour, sweet, lightly spicy, and with just hint of savory. Add more sugar as needed
Serving:
- Portion the cooked noodles, flaked fish into individual serving bowl. Ladle the hot soup generously over the noodles. Top with sliced cucumber, sliced onion, pineapple chunks, mint leaves, shredded lettuce, finely chopped ginger flower. Squeeze some lime juice over. Serve with hae ko diluted with some water on the side (I didn't use this because we don't usually serve it with hae ko where I grew up)
Video
