Penang Laksa

Penang Assam Laksa

A tangy, spicy fish-noodle soup from Penang built on a fragrant spice paste, sour tamarind and fish broth, traditionally served with fresh herbs and vegetables.

Prep

25 min

Cook

50 min

Total

75 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1.1 lb) mackerel fillets, fresh mackerel is most traditional; substitute with sardines if unavailable
• •1.2 L (5 cups) water
• •15 g (about 8 stalks) dried red chilies, seeded; soak in hot water 15 min, traditional laksa paste uses dried chilies
• •5 g (about 5 stalks) fresh red chilies, adjust to taste
• •30 g (¼ cup) dried shrimp paste (belacan), toasted dry in a pan until fragrant before blending
• •80 g (⅓ cup) shallots, Thai or small red shallots
• •20 g (about 4 cloves) garlic
• •30 g (1 oz) fresh lemongrass, use only the tender inner bulb; bruised
• •15 g (1 tbsp) fresh galangal, sliced; ginger is an acceptable substitute
• •15 g (1 tbsp) fresh turmeric, or 1 tsp ground turmeric
• •8 g (4 candlenuts) candlenuts, substitute with blanched almonds or macadamia nuts
• •10 g (1 tbsp) coriander seeds
• •5 g (1 tsp) fennel seeds
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) cooking oil
• •30 g (2 tbsp) tamarind paste, concentrated seedless block; or 50 g fresh tamarind pulp strained with 100 ml water
• •8 g (1 tbsp) palm sugar, or light brown sugar
• •20 ml (4 tsp) fish sauce
• •20 g (1 small bunch) daun kesum (Vietnamese mint/laksa leaf), essential for authentic flavor; substitute with Thai basil if unavailable
• •400 g (14 oz) thick rice noodles, Penang loh mee fun or fresh rice noodles; blanched
• •1 cucumber (1 medium) cucumber, thinly sliced
• •1 small red onion, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water 5 min
• •1 pineapple (½ cup) pineapple, cut into thin wedges (nenas), optional but traditional
• •1 torch ginger bud (1 small) torch ginger bud (bunga kantan), thinly sliced; substitute with a few slices of fresh ginger flower or omit
• •15 g (¼ cup) fresh mint leaves
• •15 g (¼ cup) fresh Thai basil or Vietnamese coriander leaves
• •1 lime lime, cut into wedges for serving
• •100 ml (scant ½ cup) shrimp paste sambal (hae ko) for serving, optional, very pungent; or use thick dark sweet soy sauce as a milder alternative

Steps

1. 1 Soak dried chilies in hot water for 15 minutes, then drain. Toast belacan in a dry pan over low heat 2-3 minutes until aromatic. Combine soaked chilies, fresh chilies, toasted belacan, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, candlenuts, coriander and fennel seeds in a blender or mortar; grind to a smooth paste, adding a splash of water if needed.
2. 2 Heat 30 ml oil in a pot over medium heat. Fry the spice paste 8-10 minutes, stirring, until it darkens, oil separates and the paste is very fragrant.
3. 3 Add 1.2 L water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add mackerel fillets and simmer gently 8-10 minutes until fish is just cooked (internal temperature 63 °C / 145 °F). Carefully remove fish with a slotted spoon; once cool, flake and remove any bones. Return bones and skin to the broth.
4. 4 Simmer broth another 15-20 minutes to extract flavor. Strain out bones and skin, return liquid to pot. Add tamarind paste, palm sugar and fish sauce; simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust: more tamarind for sour, more sugar for sweet, more fish sauce for salty. Add torn daun kesum leaves, then gently fold in the flaked fish; warm through 1-2 minutes. Do not boil once fish is added.
5. 5 Blanch rice noodles in boiling water 1-2 minutes until just pliable, drain and divide among 4 bowls. Top with sliced cucumber, red onion, pineapple, torch ginger and a generous handful of mint and basil.
6. 6 Ladle hot fish broth over the noodles and vegetables. Serve immediately with lime wedges and a small dish of shrimp paste sambal (hae ko) or sweet soy on the side for diners to add to taste.