Assam Laksa

Name: Assam Laksa
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 400g Mackerel; 2 l Water; 100g Tamarind Pulp (Assam Jawa), soaked in warm water and strained for juice; 3 slices of Dried Tamarind Slices (Asam Gelugur); 20g Daun Kesum; 1 Torch Ginger Flower (Bunga Kantan), bud, halved; 3 stalks of Lemongrass, white parts bruised; 3 centimeters of Galangal, sliced; 12 Dried Red Chilies, soaked and deseeded; 6 Shallots; 1 tsp Belacan, toasted; 2 tbsp Palm Sugar; 2 tsp Salt; 800g Laksa Noodles; 1 Cucumber, julienned; 200g Pineapple, ripe, cut into fine matchsticks; 1 Red Onion, large, thinly sliced; 1/2 Torch Ginger Flower (Bunga Kantan), bud, very thinly sliced; 1 cup Fresh Mint Leaves; 2 Red Bird's Eye Chilis, sliced; 4 leaves of Lettuce Leaves, finely shredded; 2 Limes, cut into wedges; 4 tbsp Hae Ko (Thick Sweet Prawn Paste), for serving

Assam Laksa is a bold, tangy Malaysian fish noodle soup brightened with tamarind and layered with aromatic herbs and torch ginger. The rich, slightly spicy fish broth is balanced by sweet pineapple, crunchy cucumber and sharp red onion, then finished with fragrant daun kesum and a squeeze of lime for a refreshingly complex bowl. Serve hot over thick laksa noodles with a dab of hae ko for an authentic punch of umami.

Assam Laksa is a bold, tangy Malaysian fish noodle soup brightened with tamarind and layered with aromatic herbs and torch ginger.... Show more

Traditional Malaysian Recipe

Health Grade

A · Excellent

Rating

4.1

Time

1 hr

Price

4,72 €

Calories

721 kcal

nutritious

one pot

gluten free

low fat

Method

Toast belacan

Heat a small dry pan over medium heat and toast the Belacan for 1–2 minutes, stirring and pressing it with a spoon, until it smells deeply savory and a little smoky. Tip it onto a plate so it stops cooking.

Soak and prep

Rinse the Mackerel and pat it dry. Use a little of the Water to soak the Tamarind Pulp (Assam Jawa) for 15 minutes, then squeeze and strain out the juice. In another bowl, soak the Dried Red Chilies in hot water for 15 minutes until softened, then drain and deseed them. Bruise the Lemongrass, slice the Galangal, halve one Torch Ginger Flower (Bunga Kantan) bud for the broth and keep the half-bud for garnish, thinly slice the Shallots, and pick over the Daun Kesum leaves.

Blend the spice paste

Put the softened chilies, sliced shallots, and cooled belacan into a blender with a splash of water. Blend until you have a smooth, brick-red paste, stopping once to scrape down the sides if needed.

Simmer the broth

In a large pot, combine the remaining water, the spice paste, the mackerel, the strained tamarind juice, the Dried Tamarind Slices (Asam Gelugur), the bruised lemongrass, sliced galangal, the reserved torch ginger flower half-bud, Palm Sugar, and Salt. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 12 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the broth smells sour and fragrant. Lift out the fish, strain the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, pressing the solids to extract every last drop of flavor, then discard the solids, flake the fish, and stir it back in with the reserved daun kesum. Simmer for 5 minutes more.

Cook the noodles

Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and cook the Laksa Noodles for 3 minutes, or until they are springy and tender. Drain them well so they do not water down the broth.

Slice garnishes

Rinse and dry the garnish ingredients, then julienne the Cucumber, cut the Pineapple into fine matchsticks, and thinly slice the Red Onion. Very thinly slice the reserved torch ginger flower half-bud, slice the Red Bird's Eye Chili, shred the Lettuce Leaves, and cut the Lime into wedges. Pick the Fresh Mint Leaves from the stems and keep them loose.

Assemble and serve

Divide the noodles among 4 warm bowls, ladle over the hot broth with plenty of flaked fish, and top with cucumber, pineapple, red onion, torch ginger flower, mint, chili, and lettuce. Finish each bowl with a lime wedge and 1 tablespoon of Hae Ko, then serve immediately and let everyone stir the sweet prawn paste into the soup to taste.