Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Food in Singapore 1: Laksa

For the first blog post in this "Food Blog", I will be blogging about the dish Laksa.

What is Laksa?
Laksa is a spicy noodle dish that are of peranakan culture known as baba and nyonya. There are many variations to this dish, and it is a merger of Chinese and Malay food elements. It is a popular dish in Malaysia and Singapore, and to a lesser extend, Indonasia and Australia (in the Chinatown there). Now, I will be talk about the two most famous variations of Laksa in Singapore/Malaysia, and my personal opinions on the dish.

Curry Laksa: Katong Laksa

It is a type of Laksa which got it's name from the Katong area in Singapore. As a Curry Laksa, it has a coconut-based curry soup. The main ingredients, other then the noodles and the soup, should usually have cockles, shrimps (prawns), fish sticks and tofu puff. It's flavour is usually enhanced by adding a spoonful of sambal chilli and with a green garnish called Vietnamese coriander, otherwise known as the laksa leaf.

Asam Laksa: Penang Laksa

The Penang Laksa is a sour fish-based soup from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is famous for it's distinct sour taste. It's main ingredients are shredded fish, normally mackerel, and finely sliced vegetables including cucumber, onions, red chillis, pineapple. Other ingredients or garnish that adds on to the flavour of the dish are mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, lemongrass and a thick sweet prawn/shrimp paste.

Extra: Asam is the name of the stock that makes the soup sour. It is made of the herb tamarind. Dried fruits of tamarind is also added to enhance the sour flavour of the dish.

Personal Opinion (of the dish)
I feel that Laksa is one of the dishes that tourist must try when they come to Singapore. Personally, prefer curry laksa. I dislike asam laksa because of the sour taste, which I think that screws up the dish. Another reason to why I like curry laksa is because it is coconut based, so the soup will be fresh everyday, otherwise the consumer will have stomach ache.

I like my curry laksa to be hot and spicy, full of soup, cockles and tofu puffs. I would also add in alot of the green garnish to enhance the fragrance of the dish. However, I do not add any sambal chilli because I feel that it will be too spicy and I will not beable to enjoy the taste of the dish fully.

For the noodles, I prefer thick vermicelli to the thin one because it taste nicer - however, this means that I have to be more careful because the thick vermicelli has a higher tendency of squirting the soup onto your clothings.

Food For Thought (pun?)

I personally think that in Singapore, the Laksa in normal coffee shops or hawker centres taste nicer then those in restaurants/food courts. Do you agree with this statement, and why?

Kim Yao

Credits:
http://touringmalaysia.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/penang-laksa-01.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Katong_Laksa.jpg
http://www.grampianspyreneespcp.org.au/Image/Agency%20Logos/Food%20For%20Thought%20Logo%20Reversed.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laksa