Asam Laksa Recipe: Nyonya Style

What makes this Asam Laksa unique and outstanding? It’s a bowl of colorful fish broth, noodles, and fresh toppings. This is the Nyonya Style Asam Laksa, known for its aromatic fresh herbs, which form the base of the fish soup (TOM YUM FISH).

Unlike the typical reddish or dark brown fish soups, this recipe features a yellow hue from fresh turmeric.

 

The rest is mostly about making the fish soup and choosing toppings. Common choices include pineapple for natural sweet and sour notes. There’s no compromising on spiciness, add red chillies or even bird’s eye chillies to taste (HONGKONG WONTON NOODLE SOUP). Garnish with fresh mint leaves for an extra aromatic touch.

This Asam Laksa is full of flavor, with noodles, crunchy toppings, and aromatic herbs blended with fish soup. Petis Udang, a fermented shrimp paste, adds a deep umami flavor with a slightly sweet and salty taste for an extra burst of flavor.

Ingredients for Fish Herbs Soup
12 medium fresh sardines - cleaned (heads on)
1 inch galangal - smashed
1 lemongrass stalk - smashed
1 inch fresh turmeric - smashed
2 dried tamarind pieces
1 1/2 liter of water
Salt to taste

How to Make Fish Soup
Simmer all the ingredients in 1 liter of water until the fish is tender.
Remove fish and set aside to cool down.
Meanwhile, strain the broth to discard all the herbs and pour the soup into the pot.
Strain the broth, while also discarding all the herbs.
Flake the fish, discard the heads, and thoroughly remove all bones. 
Add into the soup, season with salt and keep it simmering over low heat.

For Assembling (as needed)

Ingredients
Mee hoon - blanched in hot water to soften

Red onion - sliced

Fresh pineapples - sliced

Red chilies and birds eye chilies - sliced

Salad leaves - sliced

Mint Leaves

Petis Udang 

How to Serve Asam Laksa

Put noodles in a bowl.

Top up with the rest of the ingredients listed above. 

Pour fish soup atop and serve a scoop of petis udang.