Just Don't Call It Sarawak Laksa

Unless you want to come off as a tourist, that is (not that we'll ever be mistaken for locals).

Malaysia is the land of laksas. There's laksa assam and curry laksa, Johor laksa and laksa utara. And Sarawak laksa, which in Sarawak is known simply as 'laksa'. Local-style laksa rules in Kuching; cruising around the small city's streets, we didn't see a single hawker offering any kind of laksa other than, well, laksa.

That's fine with us, because in Kuching we can - and did - eat laksa day after day.

Coconut milk-based Sarawak-style laksa gravy incorporates a spice paste made from belacan, lemongrass, galangal, coriander, chile, and black pepper, among other things (Sarawak laksa recipes are hard to come by). Into the gravy go beehoon (rice vermicelli) and bean sprouts; shrimp, chicken, omelet strips, and fresh cilantro crown the bowl.

On a dull, rainy Saturday we found our laksa heaven at Min Heng, a small Chinese coffee shop just a couple of blocks from Min Joo. Laksa is breakfast fare in Sarawk (most vendors are closed before lunch) and, indeed, at 8am this stall owner and his wife were serving several tables of regulars and while fielding dozens of takeout orders. She told us that on Sundays their packing it up by 9:30am.

This couple's attention to detail comes  through in the final product. His soup, fully lemak (rich with coconut milk), is, at the same time, light. Black pepper comes through clear and strong on the palate, as does ground coriander and lemongrass, and chile takes a back seat - until, that is, the accompanying sambal is stirred in. With the addition of a squeeze of kalamansi the gravy assumes a perfect balance, coconut milk's sweetness playing off citrus tartness and acting as the perfect foil to the kick of black pepper and red chile.

This laksa cook doesn't prepare his chicken in advance but keeps it on the bone, poaching in a pan of stock on his cart, ready to be pulled out and chopped to order (note the whole chicken lower right, above). The result is juicy, flavorful pieces of bird rather than the rubbery bits of protein to be found in many a Sarawak-style laksa. His wide omelet strips taste fresh and eggy, and he's generous with shrimp as well.

Satisfied as we were with our this laksa at Min Heng, we felt compelled - for our readers - to sample the version served by an elderly hawker almost kitty corner, in an open food court across from the Carpenter Street Teochew temple. It boasted little of our previous laksa's subtlety and seemed heavy with coconut milk in comparison. Neither sambal nor kalamansi was served on the side; a polite inquiry ('Sambal?') earned us a grunt, a sneer, and a jerk of the vendor's thumb at our bowl.

Now, we can certainly appreciate that a proud cook may not wish a diner to mess with his creation. But in Malaysia, where some like it fiery, others like just a touch of tingle, and the rest prefer it blandish, heat on the side (in the form of sambal, chile sauce, and/or pickled/fresh chilies) is ubiquitous. This vendor's refusal to come up with a saucer of sambal seemed born more of orneriness than genuine insult.

The next morning we returned to Min Heng. And just in time, too. It was 9am and we were among the last customers of the day. 

Laksa stall at Min Heng Cafe, 6 Carpenter Street, Kuching, Sarawak. Mon-Sat 7-1030 or 11a, Sun 7-9 or 930a. No set off day. (This shop serves a nice cup of kopi too.) 3 RM per bowl.

Comments

[DW]

Hey, the two blog entries on Sarawak I've read so far tell me I've found a new place to waste even more "company time".

Notwithstanding the picture of Mr. Min Joo sporting a bright red VEDAN apron -- VEDAN being Taiwan's biggest maker of MSG -- that bowl of Laksa looks truly sublime.

I'm so moved by the picture I feel compelled to pen this poem:
A bowl of laksa with neither lime nor sambal season-
ing, I find in the why and the wherefore neither rhyme nor reason-
ing.

[DeV]

You should try chong choon that one even better and u may refer to this link for laksa location k? :D

http://real-sarawaklaksa.blogspot.com/

but for me i prefer chong choon / foody goody / jin ming cafe nicer :D

[Robyn]

DW - Oh yes, you could easily 'waste' several days eating around Kuching. And what a lovely, and appropriate poem...

DeV - yes, Chong Choon gets all the raves and we'll try it next time we're in Kuching. I really liked this vendors soup though, so amazingly rich yet light.

[Nate]

I remember having a bowl of Sarawak laksa in a little kopitiam in Bangsar. I liked it, noting the pronounced use of coriander and cilantro in the dish compared with other laksas.

[Valerie]

Man, that looks SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. I haven't had one in over 2 years!

[Robyn]

Nate - I know the place, it was one of our very first posts 2 yrs ago. She's from Kuching and supposedly uses paste shipped over from Sarawak. It is a darned fine version, though just a wee bit richer than this one.

Valerie - I'd suggest you make your own, but I've found recipes for Sarawak laksa to be very thin on the web! Wonder why....

[Mama Bok]

I love beehoon with my laksa.. ;) i wonder how different the laksa is in kuching .. compared to those in singapore.
It's been a few months .. actually 8 .. since i had a prima taste laksa.. ;)

[DW]

I shudder at the thought of making Laksa from scratch - i.e. without the pre-packaged Laksa paste. However, should anyone wish to try, I've transcribed the list of ingredients from a package of Kuching paste I used some time ago.

bawang merah = shallots
bawang putih = garlic
buah keras = candle nut
bijan = sesame (seeds probably)
cili = chili
garam = salt
kacang = peanuts (?!)
lengkuas = galangal
minyak masak = cooking oil
rempah = spices (huh?)
serai = lemon grass

I imagine the galangal, lemon grass and candle nuts are grated real fine and mixed with the other ingredients. That would account for the dregs you find at the bottom of the pot after cooking the pre-packaged paste in broth.

State-side, Roland sells laksa paste in jars. Not Sarawak paste, mind you, but it should get you maybe half way there. Which should place you now somewhere in the middle of the South China Sea, har har. I've never used them but I'm guessing the paste is probably sediment-free, so that's a plus.

I like to cook the paste in chicken broth. Well, what good fortune you just happen to have a pot of it from cooking the chicken that will be a laksa topping. Add to that the shrimp shells (from the shrimp that will be another topping), simmer for a good hour and you should now have the foundation for a killer bowl of laksa.

While the broth is simmering, prepare rice vermicelli (beehoon) the usual way, blanche some bean sprouts, fry a thin omelette and slice thinly, shred the chicken, tear up some coriander leaves, get the belacan and lime ready, and assemble appropriately.

Pour the laksa broth minus the nasty bits of sediment or shell on your beehoon-topping assembly and get ready to enjoy a fantastic tasting bowl of (Sarawak) laksa.

The preceeding should not be mistaken for an actual recipe - not that there's any risk of that happening.

[DW]

Forgot a vital ingredient - coconut milk in the broth. A couple of cups to a pot should be about right.

[很快ming的庇护]

嘿，在沙捞越I'的二个博客词条; 到目前为止ve读告诉我I' ve发现一个新的地方浪费更加" 公司time"。 仍然Min炫耀一条明亮的红色VEDAN围裙的Joo先生的图片 -- 是的VEDAN Taiwan' 信息s最大的制造商 -- 那个碗Laksa神色真实地升华。 I' m，因此移动由我感觉强迫写作这首诗的图片：一个碗与石灰和sambal季节的laksa ing，我在为什么和原因押韵和原因不发现 ing

[deborah]

人，那好神色SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO。 我haven' t有一完全成功在2年期间!

[deborah]

人，那好神色SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO。 我haven' t有一完全成功在2年期间!

[deborah]

人，那好神色SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO。 我haven' t有一完全成功在2年期间!

[ian]

try MADAM TANG's laksa when you'r in kuching except sundays and yes, before LUNCH

[JJ]

Of all those places mentioned in this entry + comments, the laksa at Fat Cat Cafe (Stutong, Kuching) is now the best. People mentioned that the lady who prepared the laksa's a descendent from Chong Choon's laksa maker. Trust me... she won't gonna disappoint you.