Laksa

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Laksa is a popular tasty dish that originated from the Peranakan, an inter-marriage between the Chinese and Malay cultures which gave rise to the fusion of flavours from the ingredients used, thus this dish is very popular with both Chinese and Malay alike, and of course to the many tourists or visitors to this island who have got hooked on it.

It is a rich spicy coconut-based noodles soup, the ingredients which may include bean sprouts, tofu (taupok), cockles, slices of chicken and egg. It is usually topped with a spoonful of sambal belacan, a fermented shrimp and chilli paste, and daun kesum or laksa leaf for the added zest. Cockles' laksa is the more common type of laksa but there are other options such as those containing prawns.

Laksa
Laksa
There are also variants of laksa such as asam and Penanag laksa. Penang is a state in northern Malaysia, with quite a high concentration of Chinese and Peranakan. Both are sourish fish-based noodle soup that usually contains slices of cucumber, pineapple, onions, mint, galangal, chili, lemongrass, dried lime leaves, and the bunga kantanor torch ginger bud for the distinctive fragrant and taste. Its main distinguishing ingredients is asam or tamarind which gives it a fishy-sourish taste. The fish is usually mackerel or ikan kembung.

You can get a bowl of laksa for about $4 at many hawker centres and food-courts. You ca also find laksa at some chain food outlets such as Qi Ji. Some visitors flock to Katong to get their fix of laksa. Posters of popular celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsey are plastered on walls of some of the laksa outlets in Katong. Katong is a Peranakan enclave.

Laksa Siglap at Bedok Corner
Laksa Siglap at Bedok Corner
My favourite laksa is laksa Siglap at Bedok Corner. Siglap is a precinct in the eastern part of Singapore, not that far from Katong. Maybe the original stall was from there. When I have the chance to go to Penang, Malaysia, asam or Penang laksa is a must have dish there. Incidentally the word laksa means noodle in Persian. A yummy uniquely local food with a Persian twist perhaps.

If you are at Bedok Corner do check out Laksamana stall too as this stall sells different types of laksa such as laksa Singapura (Singapore laksa), laksa Johor and laksa Penang. They even have a storyboard to show these different types of laksa at the stall. Very educational indeed.
Location: Singapore

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