Laksa

-
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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mee soto and Soto ayam

-
Image
Mee soto is a spicy chicken noodle soup commonly found in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Mee means noodles. The spiciness depends on how much black-ish color chili you put in your noodles. This hot chili topping is optional, to add zest to the taste. If you have been to Indonesia, you probably would have come across soto. Soto originates from Indonesia, which is a soupy dish of broth, meat and vegetables. Simple yet delicious. Mee soto The main ingredients of mee soto are yellow Hokkien noodles, bean sprouts and slices of chicken ( ayam ) sprinkled with fried shallots and some mint leaves. The soup or gravy contains coriander and lemongrass that gives it a unique fragrant smell and taste. Mee soto can be found in many hawker centres or food courts and sells for between $2.50 to $3.50. This noodle is usually sold by Malay stall holders. Cheap, spicy, good and tasty! The yellow noodles are similar to the ones in mee rebus , only the soup or gravy is different. The other variant is
Read more

Flowers of VIPs and Celebrities at World Heritage National Orchid Garden

-
Image
The orchid family, Orchidaceae, is one of the two largest flowering plant families in the world, the other being the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Orchids are also one of the most widespread and variable families of flowering plants. There are about 30,000 orchid species in the world, making up to 8% of the plant kingdom. They can be found on all continents that support vegetation but are most diverse in the tropics which suits well in Singapore tropical and humid climate. Orchids are generally herbaceous plants as they do to have woody parts like trees or shrubs. Orchid seeds are also the smallest seeds in the world. Many orchids grow on trees called tree orchids or epiphytic orchids, but they do not receive nutrients from the trees and are therefore not parasites. Many other orchids grow on the ground called ground or terrestrial orchids. And orchids that grow on rocks are called lithophytic orchids. Few others are lianas, climbing on small trees such as Vanilla planifolia . Vanilla
Read more

Exploring Biodiverse Pasir Ris Mangrove Forest and Swamps

-
Image
Most who head to Pasir Ris will invariably think of Wild Wild Wet, a water theme park, and Downtown East or E-Hub. Very close to Wild Wild Wet and Downtown East and hiding in the eastern corner of Singapore is the mangrove forest and swamps, home to mudskippers, the amphibious fish that can live both in water and land (you really have to look hard as they blend very well with the environment and has the colour of brownish mud) and otters! Pasir Ris mangroves forest are part of the larger Pasir Ris Park. Other marine creatures that you may spot are crabs and they are several different species of crabs including the brownish tree-climbing resident crab called Eppy. Its full name is Episesarma singaporense or Singapore Vinegar Crab, a native crab. As you walk along the boardwalks you may see mountains of crabs' 'condominiums'. Another crab which is commonly found living among mangroves is the small porcelain fiddler crab. Male fiddler crab has one claw larger than the other th
Read more