Laksa – One of the Most Sought After Dishes in Asia Posted By: Jilly Mallari on May 21st, 2021
There is more to your favorite spicy curry noodle soup than its rich taste and mouth-watering aroma.
With an extensive range of cultural tastes and exotic selections, the dishes from each Asian region are found to have resemblances but differ depending on the particular culture, local traditions and available resources. While rice is staple in all areas, noodle soup has been one of the popular dishes in Asia especially in East and Southeast regions. The cuisine of the South East is known for satisfying dishes with pungent flavors featuring citrus aromas and several herbs such as coriander, basil, galangal, tamarind, lemongrass and lime. Chili peppers and curries are also common and with fusion of these several tastes altogether, one dish stands out – the Laksa.
Laksa is a spicy curry noodle soup dish created by the Peranakans, believed to be the Chinese traders in the early 16th century who arrived and settled in Indonesia and consequently united with local Malay culture. Where the dish got its name is uncertain. The world “laksa” may have been derived from “laksha”, a Hindi word for a type of noodle. For some, it is said to be a Sanskrit word meaning “hundred thousand” which is associated with the huge number of ingredients being used to make it.
The traditional dish consists of rice vermicelli noodles with bean sprouts in a rich, thick and spicy broth made from prawn stock cooked with an aromatic spice blend of ground chillies, dried shrimps, candlenuts, shallots, galangal and lemongrass.
There are 2 fundamental variations of Laksa: Assam Laksa, with clear, sweet, sour and spicy soup base (flavor from tamarind, locally known as assam) and Laksa Nemak, with coconut milk soup base.
Remarkably, there is nowhere else authentic laksa can be found other than Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Today, however, many restaurants nearby these countries offer the original taste of laksa dishes.
I’M Hotel’s restaurant, The Common Good Food Playground offers authentic Singaporean Laksa. Singaporean Laksa is Peranakan style that is rich in seafood such as prawns, fishcakes and dried shrimps.
Chef Gary Ordonez of The Common Good shares the recipe of their Signature dish:
If you want to avoid the hassle of going to market, finding ingredients, mise en place… a Laksa meal kit is also available at The Common Good for purchase. It is designed for home dining and consists of a ready-made mix of broth, paste and sauces, from The Common Good’s authentic Singaporean Laksa recipe, and toppings which will only require quick preparation.
You can have this delightful authentic Singapore dish for only Php520. Click HERE to order.
Everything you need is there, just heat it up, assemble and there it is – a bowl of authentic Singaporean Laksa, warm and ready for feasting at your home.
From the paste to broth, to the noodles and toppings, with all those spices, flavorings and love put forth to make this bowl perfect for every taste bud, no wonder Laksa is held in high regard by many.