For foodies, a trip to Malaysia is all about pigging out on bowls of soul-soothing Laksa. Typically, laksa would be described as a noodle dish served in a bowl brimming with spicy gravy topped with fish flakes, prawns, chicken, cockles, vegetables, herbs and most importantly a spoonful of fiery sambal (spiced, pungent prawn paste). Perhaps a simpler and more apt description of laksa would be ‘Comfort in a Bowl’. For Malaysians, it’s a dish close to their heart. They eat laksa any time hunger calls – breakfast, lunch, or dinner. More importantly, it truly is Malaysia in a bowl; drawing influences from the native Malay cuisine, and the immigrant Chinese, Indian and Thai cuisines. Laksa is the soul of Malaysian cuisine.
Such is the love for laksa, that it has a different incarnation in every region of the country. The spicy, red, coconut milk-based ‘Curry Laksa’ popular around the world, finds roots in the national capital, Kuala Lumpur. Whereas the Penang version is known as ‘Asam Laksa’ thanks to the tang lent by asam or tamarind. In Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah in North Malaysia, laksa sheds its famed red color and transforms into laksam, a white-on-white dish made with rice noodle rolls and creamy coconut milk gravy. Yet the version of laksa that often wins the hearts of many a foodie and chef, including the likes of Anthony Bourdain, is the Sarawak Laksa hailing from the Sarawak region on Borneo island.
The Origins
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Story goes that back in the 1940s, a Cantonese man named Goh Lik Teck moved to Kuching. Soon, he started earning a living by selling a simple noodle broth on a street cart, that would later become the famed Sarawak Laksa. Some say he sold or gave his spice paste to a Cantonese lady who may have sold it a businessman named Tan Yon Him. In the 1960s, Mr Tan, as he was popularly known, made a fortune by selling this spice paste under his brand, Swallow. Since then many ‘bird’ themed spice pastes, like Eagle and Parrot, flooded the market but none can match the taste nor popularity of the original Swallow.
It’s All About Balance
What makes Sarawak Laksa so special? It’s the perfect balance of heat from the Swallow spice paste, tartness from tamarind, and creaminess from coconut milk. This unique fusion is not found in any other type of laksa. Ask the experts and they’ll explain that Sarawak Laksa’s distinct flavor really does come from the original spice paste from made in Sarawak whose ingredients and their quantities remain a guarded secret. If you happen to eat authentic Sarawak Laksa in Peninsular Malaysia, it’s quite likely that it has been made with Swallow spice paste specially imported from Sarawak. Many have attempted to recreate this spice paste in vain. Swallow always wins.
This fiery paste consisting of a host of spices like cumin, star anise, fennel, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, white pepper, chilis, coriander, ginger and belacan (prawn paste) adds to the delicious complexity of this dish. A concoction of both chicken and prawn stock combined with coconut milk lend it a creamy richness. The hint of tang from tamarind completes the holy trinity. The final crunch and texture is given by noodles, vegetables, chicken, and prawn. The real challenge lies in striking the right balance.
The short flight from KL to Kuching may well be worth it after all!
Book flights to Kuala Lumpur on EMI without a credit card with Mihuru Splitfare and explore the best foods to try in Malaysia.
Tags: Malaysia
