Assam Addiction

Sour, trailed closely by hot, is my favorite southeast Asian flavor. No surprise then that my favorite type of laksa is Penang-style assam (which means sour). No two laksa assam (a.k.a. laksa Penang) are alike, and Malaysians have tightly held convictions about what makes for a great one. Having lived in Kuala Lumpur for just a little more than a year, I don't feel qualified to designate this or that version of laksa assam 'the best'. So I'll just say that we recently stumbled across a very good one, at the Saturday night market on Lorong TAR.

Laksa assam includes, of course, laksa noodles - thick and round, chewier and more elastic than regular rice noodles.

Then there's the fish-based broth or gravy, which will likely include shallots, fresh turmeric, lemon grass, chilies, peppery and astringent daun kesom ('laksa leaf' or Vietnamese coriander) and plenty of belacan (shrimp paste), among other things. Sour comes from tamarind and/or assam keping, semi-dried slices of a sour fruit (pictured top photo at 6-7 o'clock). Strong-flavored, oily fish are the most appropriate for laksa broth. The owners of this stall start with 120 kilograms of ikan kembung - which could be either chub mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) or short mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma) - purchased early in the morning at Pasar Selayang, KL's mammoth wholesale market.

The fish is boiled and the meat pulled off the bone - laksa gravy worthy of its name will be thick with shreds of fish meat - and the other ingredients (no laksa cook will reveal all of his or her secrets) added to the broth, which is then simmered for hours.

Before gravy is ladeled over noodles, other ingredients such as sliced pineapple, cucumber, and red onion, fresh chilies, mint leaves, more laksa leaves, and chopped coriander will be added to the bowl. Half a hard-boiled egg is a standard ingredient, and laksa assam is always served with half a kalamansi to squeeze over, in the event that additional sourness is desired.

The laksa here (look for the sign advertising 'Laksa Seribu Rasa' - laksa of a thousand flavors) is prepared by Malay Penang-ites (rather than Chinese Malaysians), and perhaps that's why the gravy is thinner and browner (less intensely chile red) than other versions I've sampled. It's less rich, too, but that's not a criticism, for it's plenty flavorful and wonderfully fishy (note the shreds of fish clinging to the egg white, above), and very very sour, in an almost mouth-puckeringly Thai way. It's also numbingly spicy, though the copious chopped fresh bird chilies I added at the table probably contributed to the burn.

Lorong TAR is the site of a number of stalls selling laksa assam - this one sits at the end of a row of them, next to a satay vendor. We can't claim to have done side-by-side comparisons, and we probably never will (the folks here recognize us by now and I'd feel a traitor supping at the table of one of their competitors).

Laksa assam stall, Saturday night market on Lorong TAR (Masjid Jamek monorail stop). Halal. Open from about 2pm until 10pm - but in reality business stops when the laksa's gone which, we're told, can be as early as 8 if there's no rain. Be sure to sit at the tables directly behind the stall.

Comments

[Cupcake]

Ah. IMHO, the best assam laksa is my mum's! Everything else is only for times of desperation.

:-)
Cupcake

[shiewie]

Ahem Cupcake...can we persuade your mum for another laksa party ;)? After all, it's for Robyn benefit, so that she has a proper base to evalaute from!

[Tummythoz]

Err.. there's no hard-boiled egg nor kalamansi/lime piece in Chinese Penang assam laksa - only in d Malay version. Usually a spoonful of d pungent prawn paste accompanies d serving.

[Jem]

That looks nice.

[Sui Mai]

I'm hungry.

[bayi]

my wife and daughter will be thrilled. they just love excellent assam laksa! thanks!

[flower]

Eventhough I am a Malay, I still prefer Penang Asam Laksa made by the Chinese. I dont like to many condiment in my Laksa. Certainly no egg. But since since moving to Australia, I have to resort into making my own Asam/Penang Laksa.

[anasalwa]

Your laksa entry sent me to Penang Restaurant in Downtown to get me a bowl. I'll be home a couple of days before Hari Raya, give me a holler if you're in Taiping area before the end of November, my sister makes a wicked Penang Laksa.

[tonixe]

Hi, Interesting post and nice pictures !

U r right the Malay version of AL is pretty good too. I m still looking for the 'best' one in KL . Wish me luck !

[chin]

hye guys, i went to the pasar malam lorong TAR. but i cant find the stall u mention above.cause from he picture the stall doesnt look like inside the lorong tar beasr,which the main pasar malam road.so can i give me so direction to the stall?
really hope i can eat there.thanks ya^^

[Abdul Mujib]

Rahasia Mengambil Uang di ATM Tanpa Mengurangi Saldo Awal !