Laksa

Origin

Popularity

Types

Curry laksa

• Laksa lemak, also known as nyonya laksa, is a type of laksa with a rich coconut gravy. Lemak is a culinary description in the Malay language which specifically refers to the presence of coconut milk 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. Laksa lemak is usually made with a fish-based gravy and quite similar to Thai laksa, perhaps to the point that one could say they are one and the same.
• Laksam, also known in Thailand as lasae, a speciality of the Northeastern Malaysian states of Kelantan, Terengganu, and Kedah, is made with very thick flat white rice flour noodles in a rich, full-bodied white gravy of boiled fish and coconut milk. Though usually made of fish flesh, it is sometimes made with eels. Traditionally Laksa is eaten with hands rather than with eating utensils due to the gravy's thick consistency.

• Lakse kuah, is a variant of fish curry laksa, specialty of Natuna island, Riau Islands, Indonesia. Made of sagoo noodles with mashed tongkol or mackerel tuna flesh, served in spicy coconut milk curry made of spice mixture including dried chilies or fresh chilies, coriander, cumin, anise, shallot, garlic, ginger and turmeric.
• Katong laksa is a variant of laksa lemak. As the name suggests, this version originated from the Katong area in eastern Singapore in the 1960s. It has since spawned several franchises and stalls across the island. In Katong laksa, the noodles are normally cut up into smaller pieces so that the entire dish can be eaten with a spoon alone, without chopsticks or a fork. Another hallmark feature of this dish is gravy thickened not just with coconut milk but ground dried shrimp, which gives the soup its characteristic 'sandy' texture

• Bogor laksa perhaps is the most famous laksa variant in Indonesia from Bogor city, West Java. The thick yellowish coconut milk based soup is a mixture of shallot, garlic, kemiri, kunyit, ketumbar, sereh, and salt. Laksa Bogor has a distinct earthy and nutty flavour acquired from oncom. The hot soup runs, drained, and filled several times into the bowl contains bihun, ketupat, smashed oncom, tauge, kemangi, yellow tofu, and boiled egg, until all the ingredients is soft and cooked. The authentic and complete Bogor laksa would include cooked shredded chicken and ground dried prawn, the cheaper street-side version however is entirely vegetarian, without any chicken or prawn, since oncom is traditionally regarded as a meat-substitute. Usually Laksa Bogor is served with sambal cuka.
• Cibinong laksa is from Cibinong, a town between Bogor and Jakarta. It is come close to laksa Bogor, however no oncom is added. The soup is a yellowish coconut milk with a mixture of some spices, and it is served with bean sprout, rice vermicelli, hard-boiled eggs, cooked shredded chicken, fried shallots, and lots of Indonesian lemon-basil leaves. Sometime they are also served with rice cake, depending on customer's wishes.

• Betawi laksa is a Betawi laksa variant from Jakarta, Indonesia. The thick yellowish coconut milk based soup is a mixture of shallot, garlic, kunyit, lengkuas, sereh, salam leaf and kaffir lime leaf, ginger, pepper, and contains ground rebon or ebi to give the unique taste. The dish contains ketupat, tauge, kemangi, and boiled egg, sprinkled with bawang goreng and often topped with emping cracker.
• Tangerang Laksa is a Chinese-Indonesian Peranakan laksa variant from Tangerang town, west from Jakarta, Indonesia. The main ingredients of laksa Tangerang were home-made rice noodles shaped like spaghetti, chicken stock, mung beans, potatoes and chives. Customers can choose laksa with boiled egg or roasted chicken. The ayam kampung laksa in thick yellowish coconut milk-based soup which is a mixture of ground shallot, garlic, turmeric, galangal, coriander, salam, ginger, and white peppercorn powder. The dish contains shredded chicken, bihun, diced boiled potatoes, boiled mung beans, chopped scallions, and serundeng or kerisik as thickening agent. Tangerang laksa is valued for a balanced consistency of its coconut milk soup, which is not too thick or too watery.
• Palembang Laksan often referred as pempek served in laksa soup, it is a speciality of Palembang, South Sumatra. It is a sliced pempek or surimi fishcake, served in coconut milk-shrimp broth based soup and spices, sprinkled with fried shallots.

• Palembang Lakso : The Palembang style laksa. Unlike laksan that uses slices of pempek fishcake, lakso uses noodle-like steamed sago paste served in coconut milk soup with mixture spices: of palm sugar, black pepper, turmeric, coriander, and candlenut, sprinkled with fried shallots. Palembang Lakso usually uses freshwater fish such as patin and gabus as stock-base and its flesh is also served, the simpler and cheaper recipe however, might just use instant chicken broth.
• Banjar Laksa : The Banjarmasin style laksa from South Kalimantan, that has ikan haruan as one of its ingredients. Similar to Palembang lakso, instead of rice noodle or vermicelli, Banjar laksa uses steamed noodle-like balls, made from rice flour paste, served in thick yellowish soup made from coconut milk, ground spices, and snakehead fish broth. Sprinkles of bawang goreng and hard-boiled duck egg might be added.
• Thai Laksa:, The Thai laksa is quite common dish in Southern Thailand; the dish is probably influenced by its neighbour the Malaysian laksa lemak or curry laksa. Thai laksa employs red curry paste, chicken broth, and coconut milk, hence it can be categorised as curry laksa, and yet it demonstrate some similar traits of Thai favourite Tom yum goong'', such as generous amount of lemongrass, prawns, and button mushrooms. Thai laksa uses rice noodles, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, red curry paste, chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, coconut milk, prawns, button mushrooms, spinach, lime juice, coriander, and onions.

  Asam laksa

• Penang laksa, also known as asam laksa from the Malay for tamarind, comes from the Malaysian island of Penang. It is made with mackerel 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 and chilli. Typical garnishes include mint, pineapple slices, thinly sliced onion, petis udang or hae ko, a thick sweet prawn-shrimp paste and use of torch ginger flower. This, and not 'curry mee' is the usual 'laksa' one gets in Penang. Penang Laksa is listed at number 7 on the World's 50 best foodscompiled by CNN Go in July 2011
• Perlis laksa is similar to Penang laksa but differs in garnishing used such as catfish and eel fish. Perlis laksa can be found in Kuala Perlis.
• Kedah laksa is very similar to Penang laksa and only differs in the garnishing used. Sliced boiled eggs are usually added to the dish. Kedah laksa used rice to make a laksa noodle. The laksa in Kedah is Laksa Telok Kechai.
• Ipoh laksa, from the Malaysian city of Ipoh, is similar to Penang laksa but has a more sour taste, and contains prawn paste.
• Kuala Kangsar Laksa, made of wheat flour. The soup is rather lighter than the common laksa taste and so much different from Ipoh Laksa in shape, taste, and smell. The local municipal council built a complex called "Kompleks Cendol dan Laksa" near the river bank of the Perak River. It is the main attraction for tourists in Kuala Kangsar.
• Medan laksa, from Indonesian city of Medan, North Sumatra. Quite similar to asam laksa from Penang right across the strait, which also uses flaked ikan kembung, kecombrang, lemongrass, and chili pepper. It is quite differ however, by using asam gelugur instead of asam jawa, turmeric, adding terasi, shallot, garlic, and key lime.

  Combination

• Sarawak laksa comes from the Malaysian state of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. The prime ingredient is a paste made from a wide range of ingredients. It has a soup-base of sambal belacan, which contributes to its crimson colouring, adding both coconut milk and sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, peeled boiled prawns, freshly chopped coriander leaves, and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added. Sarawak laksa is also commonly found in neighbouring Borneo states of Sabah and Brunei, and as a result some might be led to believe that there are distinct Sabah and Brunei laksa recipes, although it is actually identical to Sarawak laksa.
• Kelantan laksa, from Kelantan state in northeastern Malaysia. It has base of mackerel, thick coconut milk, stalks lemongrass, shallots, cloves garlic, slices dried tamarind, palm sugar, and salt.
• Johor laksa, from Johor state in southern Malaysia, only resembles Penang laksa in the kind of fish used but differs in everything else. Johor laksa has coconut milk, use kerisik, asam Gelugur, dried prawns, lemongrass, galangal, and spices akin to curry. The garnishing consists of slices of onion, beansprouts, daun selasih, Vietnamese coriander or daun kesum, cucumber, and pickled white radish. sambal belacan is placed on the side. Finally, just before eating, freshly squeezed lime juice is sprinkled on the dish. Unique to Johor laksa is its Italian connection – spaghetti is used instead of the normal rice noodles or vermicelli. Johor laksa is traditionally eaten using the hand and the noodles are usually knitted into a disk for each serving. Johor Laksa has been declared a Malaysian heritage food by the Malaysian Department of National Heritage.
• Terengganu laksa is the easiest laksa recipe that is famous among peoples from the town of Kuala Terengganu of the Terengganu state, located at the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The main ingredient of Terengganu laksa's sauce is ikan kembong or round scad mackerel that are boiled and minced. The minced fish are fried with onions, garlic, ginger, datil pepper, belacan, kantan flower, Vietnamese coriander or daun kesum, lemon grass, and dried tamarind slice. Coconut milk will then be added as the final ingredient and stirred until it is all mixed up and becomes thick. Terengganu laksa is served by adding ulam and blended chili on the side. Another variable of Terengganu Laksa is Laksam. The sauce's recipe are exactly the same but the noodles are a bit bigger and flat.
• Tambelan laksa from Tambelan Archipelago in Riau Islands province of Indonesia, off the west coast of West Kalimantan. It uses flaked sauteed ikan tongkol asap and lump of sagoo noodles, served in spicy coconut-based stock made of kerisik. Laksa Tambelan uses quite complex spice mixture, which includes sour asam kandis, daun kesum, shallot, garlic, chilli pepper, lemongrass, turmeric, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, galangal, coriander, caraway, black pepper, also anchovy and ground dried shrimp.

  Summary table