Penang Assam Laksa Recipe - Sour food for man can help wife to conceive baby Boy, believe it or not?



Yes, yes, another sour and spicy dish post! Nope, my wifey is not pregnant......errrr, maybe?...he he he!

I cooked this Penang Assam Laksa last weekend because my friend who stays in Bandar Botanic in Klang gave me a big bunch of mint (po ho, pudina). She planted the mint in her home garden. I garnished my laksa with lots of mint! mmmmm, nice leh! yum yum!

I didn't buy any Kembong Fish (Indian Mackerel) but used canned tuna instead. Actually, I find peeling the kembong fish for Assam Laksa takes up too much time, so I tried to substitute it with canned fish. Although the soup didn't turned out as good as the one using fresh Indian Mackerel fish, I still find all the other assam Laksa flavours in it. I shared the assam laksa with my next door and opposite neighbours.

For the Assam Laksa recipe you can click this link to my previous post, Penang Assam Laksa Recipe.

PS : My ex boss used to tell me that, guys who loves to eat sourish food would produce baby boy when their wife conceive. He don't like sourish food, so he had 3 daughters. Mmmm, I wonder whether that is true or not? I have 2 sons! Believe it or not? LOL!

Assam Laksa at Nanking Restaurant (Kedai Kopi), USJ Subang Jaya

This is my favourite haunt for assam laksa whenever I am around this area during tea time. Many restaurants would not operate during this hour and sometimes it is hard to find things to eat during tea time. Nanking Restaurant is located in the heart of busy Taipan commercial area and it is hard to find parking here during the weekdays. So, it is better to come here during the weekends. I would prefer the assam laksa without the har ko (prawn paste) because it make it sweet and change the laksa taste. Anyway, I have been eating the laksa in Nanking Restaurant for quite some time already and each time it manages to satisfy my cravings for this sour and spicy hawker food till my next trip back to Penang. The laksa gravy is not very thick but if eaten without the har ko, the sourness is just nice. Ask for more chilli padi if you like it spicy. After having our fill of Assam Laksa, I bought some yau char kwai from the stall at the back lane directly behind Nanking. Address, 36 Jln USJ10/1, Taipan, Subang Jaya, Selangor (Opening hours 11am - 8pm) Map to Kedai Kopi Nanking, USJ, Subang Jaya

Assam Laksa (Spicy sour rice noodles), Stall 24, Section 14 Wet Market Complex

A friend took me to eat the laksa at this stall during a lunch break when I was attending training at Jaya 33. Stall 24 is located at the non- halal eatery level at the complex. It is very hard to find a parking space in Section 14 commercial area. The best place to park is at the MBPJ multi-storey car park which is also part of this wet market complex. It has been quite a while since I last had a good bowl of Assam Laksa. The laksa tasted quite good on my first visit but not up to mark during my second visit. Maybe I was too early and the soup has not been simmering long enough to enable all the flavours from the ingredients to seep out. Anyway, overall the laksa is still ok for my taste. I love drinking the sour and spicy gravy. The mint and torch ginger (bunga kantan) which goes along well with the sweet sour spicy gravy gave the laksa some extra kick. Check out this place if you like Assam Laksa. Map to Section 14 Wet Market Comples, Petaling Jaya

Assam Pedas and Nyonya Laksa – Penang Indian Nyonya Kuih Vendor

When I was a kid growing up in Butterworth (Penang), there were many Indian kueh vendors who would balance a pole on their shoulder carrying two baskets filled with lots of Nyonya (Malaysian Straits born Chinese who adopted the local culture) cakes and goodies. Among the common Nyonya kuih (cakes) they sell are pulut tai tai, kuih koci, rempah udang, bingka ubi, kuih ketayap, kuih koci, kuih talam, pulut inti, chai tow (radish) kuih and many more. However, presently, I don’t think I ever come across these Indian kuih vendors in Penang anymore. I remember eating the Nyonya laksa sold by these vendors. It is a little different from the normal Penang Assam Laksa. The taste is a cross between Nyonya Asam Pedas and Assam Laksa. I tried to cook this type of Nyonya Laksa by modifying my Assam Laksa recipe a little bit. Instead of using Indian Mackerel (kembong, short bodied mackerel) which is the normal ingredients for Assam Laksa, I used Narrow barred Mackerel (tengiri batang). I did not peel and remove the bones of the Mackerel (tengiri batang), added in more turmeric and chillies to the soup. I also use less tamarind juice because the Nyonya laksa I ate was a little more of a salty type. So, here is the final result of my food experiment and I gave this bowl of Nyonya laksa to my good neighbour.

Assam Laksa, Jln Kurau, Chai Leng Park, Prai, Butterworth

This Assam Laksa owner operates from one of the terrace house in Jalan Kurau in Chai Leng Park, Prai, Butterworth. One will easily miss this laksa stall if you are not familiar with the place. The stall opens around lunch time until late afternoon tea time. I was in this area one afternoon and decided to check out the laksa. The laksa gravy is full of flavour and the turmeric smell is strong. No problem for me, the more pungent the soup the better it is, plus with the addition of wild ginger flower garnish, the taste is heaven. I love laksa with thick soup without adding any har ko (shrimp paste) as the har ko normally spoils the natural taste and also the laksa will become too sweet. The spicyness and sour taste is just right. Overall the laksa from this stall suits my taste. As the location of this eatery is in a house, it is not so pack with people like a normal restaurant or coffee shops with many stalls, so I can enjoy the laksa soup slowly and peacefully till the last drop! After finishing a bowl of laksa, I ‘sapu habis’(eat) all the ice kacang, yummy! The price per bowl is RM2.50. They owner also sells Bak Chang (Meat dumplings), Tong Sui, Ais Kacang, Siam Laksa, Yam Cakes and Oyster Porridge. A bowl of yummy assam laksa.............................The terrace house converted in to an eatery! Address: 92, Jalan Kurau, Chai Leng Park, Prai 13700, Butterworth. (Opposite Chai Leng Park Multi Purpose Hall and Thiam Chye Workshop) GPS Latitude 5°23'8.45"N Longitude 100°23'37.05"E Map to Chai Leng Park, Jalan Kurau Laksa Stall or rather a House

Authentic Penang Assam Laksa Recipe

I received a request from Josephine, to publish this Assam Laksa Recipe. This recipe is from my old notes and it has been a while since I last cook Assam Laksa. Lazy to peel the fish, ha ha!

Blend

Galangal (lengkuas), 2”x2”x2”
Serai (lemon grass), 3pcs
Dried Chillies, 5pcs
Shallots, 10 pcs
Fresh Turmeric, 1” length
Fermented Shrimp paste (belacan), 1”x 1”x1”
Wild ginger bud, 1 pc

Assam Laksa Soup

Water, Seven bowls
Ikan Kembong (Indian Mackerel), 5 pcs
Polygonum (Daun Kesom), 15 stalks
Sugar, 2 table spoon (or to taste)
Salt to taste
Dried Assam Keping, 5 pcs (or 3 table spoon of assam jawa mixed in water) (or to taste)

Bring the water to a boil and add the blended ingredients. Add daun kesom(polygonum), assam keping, sugar, ikan kembong and salt to taste. Take out the ikan kembong when it is soft. Remove the flesh from the kembong and put back the flesh into the soup.

Garnishing and Laksa Noodles
Laksa noodles, 1 packet, scalded in boiling water.
Cucumber, 1 pc, slice thinly \
Onions, 2pcs, slice thinly
Wild Ginger Bud, 1 pc, slice thinly
Lettuce, 1 bunch, cut in to strips
Mint leaves, 1 bunch, remove twigs
Bird Eye Chillies, 10 pcs, slice thinly
Shrimp paste (otak udang), 3 table spoon, mixed with ¼ cup of hot water.

Put laksa noodles in a bowl. Pour the hot soup over the noodles and garnish it according to taste. Happy cooking!

Assam Laksa, Hokkien Mee and Chendol at Raja Uda, Butterworth

The Assam Laksa and Hokkien Mee stall are located side by side on the main road of Jln Raja Uda, Butterworth. They start their business around lunch time and the laksa is normally sold out by 4pm. I love the taste of the laksa from this stall. It has been a while since I had a good laksa. The combination of sourness and sweetness is just perfect. The Hokkien mee next to this laksa stall is also very tasty and full of natural prawn taste. It is normal to see many customers stopping by to have a quick meal or stop their car by the road site for take away. After finishing my laksa I hop over a few stalls away to have my chendol. Actually you can request them to bring the chendol to the laksa stall. Great laksa and nice hokkien mee, then wash down with chendol; will be back for some more! Nice Assam Laksa......drooling...........................Yummy Hokkien Mee.........stomach rumbling! The Hokkien Mee Stall. Laksa on the right...........Sweet and cold dessert after all the hot food! Location: Roadside makeshift stalls Along Jalan Raja Uda,(After Kwong Hwa School, near Wombly Book store) GPS Latitude 5°25'56.07"N Longitude 100°23'5.14"E (Coordinates might not be very accurate because it was my estimation from Google Earth, not actual site reading) RAJA UDA MAP Related Post on Raja Uda http://peteformation.blogspot.com/2008/10/chaw-choon-dim-sum-restaurant-jln-ong.html http://peteformation.blogspot.com/2008/10/nine-emperor-gods-festival-kow-ong-yah.html