ASAM LAKSA

This is my youngest daughter's favourite...in fact not only her but the whole family...every one at home love asam laksa...but I always have problem with laksa...I hate doing it especially the fish part. There's always a compromise at home when come to this laksa issue, I'll do the cooking and the children get the fish ready...a fair deal...it's everyone's favourite.

Do you know that Asam Laksa was ranked 7th in CNN International’s Top 50 most delicious food in the world. CNNGo, CNN International’s lifestyle guide, describes the dish as “an addictive spicy-sour fish broth with noodles”, with ingredients such as “poached, flaked mackerel, tamarind, chili, mint, lemongrass, onion, pineapple…”and how the dish will “have your nose running before the spoon even hits your lips.”

Fantastic !!! The secret behind a good Assam Laksa is the soup. If the soup is spicy, sour, pungent, served hot mam mia...it's heavenly delicious.

Ingredients

1kg Kembung fish / Mackerel fish, remove scales and guts

3000ml water

A small bunch of daun Kesum / Laksa leaf

35g dried tamarind peels

2 lemongrass bruised

2 strig daun kesum/vietnamese basil

2 ginger torch halved

Spice paste

25 ch dried chilies soaked 

15 shallots

5 g shrimp paste (belacan)

Seasonings

3tsp salt or taste

3tbsp sugar or to taste

2tbsp fish sauce or to taste

For Garnishing

1-2kg fresh Laksa noodles

1 small pineapple, cut small pieces

A bunch of mint leaves

1 cucumber, julienned

2 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 bunga kantan / torch ginger, thinly sliced

1 large red onion, very thinly sliced

Lime

Prawn paste (Hae Ko)

PREPARATIONS

  

1. Blend chilli paste, shallots and belacan till fine paste.

2. Bring water to boil, put in fish. Cook for 10mins, remove fishes from the stock and set aside to cool. Set fire to low and continue to boil for another 10mins.

4. Pick the flesh out of all the fish and discard the bones. Break the fish meat into tiny pieces.

5. Strain the stock in another pot. 

6. Add in the chili paste, lemongras, daun keksum and tamarind pulps the fish stock and cooked fishes pieces and  continue to boil for 45mins over low heat.

7. Add in seasonings, and adjust the taste accordingly.

8. In a serving bowl, add in the Laksa noodles (blanch in hot water first) and garnish all vegetables on top. Pour the Assam Laksa soup into the bowl and serve immediately with a spoonful of Hae Ko/prawn paste.

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Ini memang selalu menjadi POJAAN hati sesiapa pun...berulang-ulang kali makan pun tak jemu..Saya seisi keluarga memang suka asam laksa ni.....tapi....hendak membuatnya selalu terfikir banyak kali. Saya paling malas bab menyiapkan ikanya...Biasanya kalau di rumah...kalau ada yang berhajat hendak laksa maka syaraynya kena siapkan ikanya...tugas saya menyiapkan kuahnya.  Laksa yang sedap bergantung kepada kuahnya...kuah jangan terlalu pekat dan jangan terlalu ceroi..rasa kena balance betul....biar cukup asam garamnya dan nakkan double sedap pastinya kena makan dengan apa orang Penang panggil "otak udang" atau belah selatan kita panggil "petis".....inilah ganjanya yang menambahkan keenakan laksa asam. Tentang ikan pula biasanya ikan sadin hidup atau pun ikan kembung...ikan ni memang cukup manis buat laksa.  Ramuan atas laksa bergantung kepada selera masing-masing tetapi kalau hendakkan keaslian laksa penang bahan utamanya...hirisan timun, hirisan bawang besar, hirisan nenas, hiris cili, hirisan bunga kentan dan daun pudina. Masyallah makan panas-panas.....memanglah teramat sedap

Next Post - Ongol Singkong Kopi

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