Asam Laksa is a flavorful, tangy, and spicy Malaysian fish based rice noodle soup, which is obviously not something a vegetarian can eat. This is therefore not a recipe for purists, but it works for my family.
Ingredients
- 1 pot of tamarind paste
- 8 cups water (2 liters)
- A protein, which could be omelette strips, tofu, tempeh – whatever takes your fancy
- 12 to 15 stalks daun besom ie. polygonum/Vietnamese coriander or if you can’t find an asian store – mint/coriander half and half with a dash of lime
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 packets fresh thick rice noodles (30 oz/950g) or 10 oz (283g) dried thick vermicelli***
Garnish
- 1 small cucumber (julienned)
- ½ pineapple (julienned) or half a fresh mango
- 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 red chilies (seeds removed and thinly sliced)
- 6 stalks mint leaves (stem removed)
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
Spice Paste
- 3 tsp chilli
- 3 red chilies (seeded and cut into pieces)
- 2 onions(peeled, chopped)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (bottom third only, thinly sliced)
- 1 inch fresh turmeric (peeled) (30g)
- 1 tbsp miso paste
Instructions:
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Blend spice paste ingredients with ¼ cup (60ml) water in a food processor
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Place tamarind in a saucepan. Make upto 2litres with hot water.
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Add blended spice paste, and other ingredients to . Bring to a boil, lower heat, and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes while you prepare the fish substitute such as an omelette or drained silken tofu. Add to pot.
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Season the soup with sugar and salt.
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Cook noodles in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and strain. Serve
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Place some noodles in a bowl. Top with a little julienned cucumber, pineapple, onion, red chili, mint leaves etc. Pour gravy over the noodles.
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Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
**If tamarind paste is not available, 1 to 2 teaspoon (depending on taste) tamarind concentrate may be used instead.
***Dried thick vermicelli should be cooked in boiling water for a minute. Then turn off heat and let it soak for 6 to 8 minutes until soften. Remove and drain before serving.