Asam laksa

Name: Asam laksa
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 600 g Mackerel, whole small mackerel, cleaned, or 4 fillets plus a fish head; 2.5 l Water; 80 g Tamarind, pulp, or 3 tbsp concentrate; 4 piece Goraka, dried slices, standing in for asam keping; 2 piece Torch ginger flower, one halved for the pot, one shredded fine for the top; 1 bunch Laksa leaf, stems into the pot, leaves shredded for the top; 2 tbsp Sugar, or palm sugar; 2 tsp Salt; 15 piece Dried chilli, soaked in hot water 15 minutes; 3 piece Fresh chilli, fresh red; 200 g Shallot, peeled; 3 piece Lemongrass, white parts, sliced; 30 g Galangal, sliced; 1 tsp Turmeric, ground, or 3 cm fresh; 15 g Shrimp paste, belacan, toasted; 600 g Rice noodles, fresh thick round laksa noodles, or 300 g dried thick rice vermicelli; 1 piece Cucumber, julienned; 200 g Pineapple, in thin batons; 1 medium Red onion, thinly sliced; 1 handful Lettuce, shredded; 1 handful Mint, leaves; 2 piece Fresh chilli, sliced

Penang's sour fish noodle soup: flaked mackerel in a tamarind broth thick with chilli, lemongrass and torch ginger, over round rice noodles with pineapple, cucumber and mint.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 1 hr 20 min
Rest: None
Total: 2 hr
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Hot
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

Asam laksa is Penang's sour fish noodle soup, and it has nothing to do with the coconut laksa most people know. The broth is mackerel poached and flaked into a stock soured with tamarind and dried tamarind slices, and thickened with a pounded paste of dried chilli, shallot, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and belacan. Torch ginger flower and laksa leaf go into the pot for perfume. It is ladled over thick, round rice noodles and topped with raw pineapple, cucumber, onion, mint and shredded torch ginger, then a spoon of sweet black prawn paste. It should taste sour first, then hot, then sweet and fishy.

What you'll need

22 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 22 ready

6 servings

Broth
Paste
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Broth

Mackerel, whole small mackerel, cleaned, or 4 fillets plus a fish head600 g
Water2½ l
Tamarind, pulp, or 3 tbsp concentrate80 g
Goraka, dried slices, standing in for asam keping (optional)4
Torch ginger flower, one halved for the pot, one shredded fine for the top2
Laksa leaf, stems into the pot, leaves shredded for the top1 bunch
Sugar, or palm sugar30 ml
Salt9.9 ml

Paste

Dried chilli, soaked in hot water 15 minutes15
Fresh chilli, fresh red3
Shallot, peeled200 g
Lemongrass, white parts, sliced3
Galangal, sliced30 g
Turmeric, ground, or 3 cm fresh4.9 ml
Shrimp paste, belacan, toasted15 g

To serve

Rice noodles, fresh thick round laksa noodles, or 300 g dried thick rice vermicelli600 g
Cucumber, julienned1
Pineapple, in thin batons200 g
Red onion, thinly sliced1 medium
Lettuce, shredded1 handful
Mint, leaves1 handful
Fresh chilli, sliced (optional)2

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Bring the water to the boil in a stockpot, add the mackerel and simmer 10 minutes. Lift the fish out, let it cool a little and flake the flesh off the bones. Put the bones and heads back in the pot, simmer 20 minutes more and strain. Keep the flesh.
35 min
Step 2
Soak the tamarind in 250 ml of the hot stock for 10 minutes, squeeze it hard between your fingers and strain, throwing away the seeds and fibres.
10 min
Step 3
Blend the soaked and fresh chillies, shallot, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric and belacan with a splash of water to a very fine paste, or pound them in a mortar.
10 min
Step 4
Bring the stock back to the boil and stir in the paste, tamarind water, goraka, the halved torch ginger and the laksa leaf stems. Simmer 30 minutes. Add the flaked fish, sugar and salt and simmer 15 minutes more; the fish breaks up and thickens the broth. Taste and balance: sour, then hot, then a little sweet.
45 min
Tip: If it tastes flat, it usually needs more tamarind and a pinch more salt, not more chilli.
Step 5
Pour boiling water over fresh noodles to loosen and heat them, or cook dried ones to the packet time. Drain and rinse.
5 min
Step 6
Julienne the cucumber, pineapple and onion, shred the lettuce, the second torch ginger bud and the laksa leaves, and pick the mint.
10 min
Step 7
Put noodles in deep bowls, ladle over plenty of hot broth with fish, and pile the toppings on. Serve at once.
3 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 370 kcal
Protein: 10 g
Carbs: 72.8 g
Fat: 4.9 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Fibre: 7.5 g
Sugar: 24.3 g
Sodium: 1709 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Fish
Shellfish

Pescatarian
Dairy-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.

Substitutions

Torch ginger flower → Four torn lime leaves, extra galangal and extra mint
There is no true substitute. This keeps the broth bright and aromatic without the floral note.
Laksa leaf → Equal parts mint and coriander
Milder and sweeter than daun kesum, but in the right direction.

Tips

Hae ko, the thick black prawn paste sold in jars at Chinese grocers, is the Penang finish. Thin a teaspoon with hot water and drizzle it over each bowl.
The broth is better the next day. Make it ahead and cook only the noodles on the night.

History & culture

Penang hawkers sell it from morning to night, at Air Itam market, along the Gurney Drive seafront and from roadside carts, and Penangites who move away name it as the thing they miss. It is a light meal or a big snack. Other states have their own versions: Perlis, Kedah and Perak each use different fish and spice.

Laksa probably grew out of Chinese, Malay and Peranakan cooking in the Straits ports, where rice noodles met Malay spice pastes. Asam laksa is the sour, fish-based branch, built on the tamarind and herbs of the peninsula. When it took its Penang form is not recorded, though Air Itam stalls claim a run of several generations.

Traditional — Penang cooks use ikan kembung, Indian mackerel, or sardines; Atlantic mackerel works well. Asam keping, dried slices of Garcinia fruit, adds a second sourness; goraka is a close relative and is listed as a stand-in. If you cannot find torch ginger, leave it out of the pot and add four torn lime leaves, a little more galangal and extra mint on top; the broth loses its floral note but stays recognisably asam laksa.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Asam laksa take?

2 hr all in — 40 min prep, 1 hr 20 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Hot.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Fish, Shellfish. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Stockpot, Blender, Mortar and pestle, Saucepan, Chef's knife, Cutting board.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.

How much sugar?

2 tbsp (or palm sugar) of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Torch ginger flower → Four torn lime leaves, extra galangal and extra mint. There is no true substitute. This keeps the broth bright and aromatic without the floral note. Laksa leaf → Equal parts mint and coriander. Milder and sweeter than daun kesum, but in the right direction.

Any tips from this recipe?

Hae ko, the thick black prawn paste sold in jars at Chinese grocers, is the Penang finish. Thin a teaspoon with hot water and drizzle it over each bowl. The broth is better the next day. Make it ahead and cook only the noodles on the night.

Can I prepare this ahead?

The broth is better the next day. Make it ahead and cook only the noodles on the night.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.