Fish Assam Laksa Recipe | Laksa Asam Ala laksa Penang & Laksa Kedah
It's been quite some times since I make assam fish laksa, or called laksa asam in Malay.
Actually, we have a few versions of assam laksa here which each version has it's own signature.
Singaporean curry laksa is one of the coconut based curry laksa which is so popular among Singaporean and is one of Nyonya's signature dish.
This laksa is absolutely delicious with thick and creamy laksa gravy!
Check on my previous post for Singaporean curry laksa recipe here:
https://thelynalina.blogspot.com/2020/02/singaporean-curry-laksa.html
AND
https://thelynalina.blogspot.com/2019/03/laksa-singapura-aka-singaporean-curry-laksa.html (for Malay version of the recipe)
Alright, back to our topic earlier about assam laksa.
The most well-known assam laksa, which is not only adored by Malays but also to other races here are penang assam laksa and Kedah assam laksa.
Actually, the taste of these laksa is slightly different from each other - but since I'm not really a fan of assam laksa, so, I can't really tell the differences.
I learnt to make assam laksa from my mom, and now I made this assam laksa to satisfy her craving for one of her favorite dish.
I tripled the portion for the gravy to be enjoyed until the next day.
The gravy is more delicious, thick and savory after reheated.
Trust me!
To make the fish gravy, You'll need fresh mackerels (ikan kembung), or ikan selayang, but I prefer to use mackerels for my assam laksa gravy.
The fishes are cleaned thoroughly until the strong fishy smells of the fishes disappear.
You can wash your fishes with lime water (air kapur), salt water or tamarind paste water to remove the fishy smell.
I've been using CNI food wash for years to wash my fish, meat and veges, but when I ran out of stock of the food wash, I'll use lime water to wash my fish and meat.
In this recipe, I added canned sardines which I chunked using a fork into the gravy to add more flavor, textures and thickens the gravy.
Some recipes called for using three types of onions - onion (bawang besar), garlic and shallots (bawang kecil).
I prefer to use onion only, blended until smooth together with dried red chilies and toasted shrimp paste.
I have tried adding shallots and garlic before to make my assam fish gravy, but I still prefer of using onion alone.
You can try adjusting the ingredients until you get your desired gravy flavors.
To watch my video for step-by-step tutorials in making fish assam laksa recipe, you can watch it here:
Even though I didn't meticulously count the calories amount for this dish, I have to say that this version of assam fish laksa is still has much fewer calories compared to laksa lemak (coconut based laksa gravy) like SIngaporean curry laksa, laksam (Kelantanese laksa of origin) and laksa Johor.
This laksa is oil-free, and the best part is - you just need to dump in all the ingredients and simmer until the gravy is thickened and that's it!
A delicious, aromatic and flavorful gravy!
One bowl is never enough!
For me, the only undesired part when making assam fish laksa is to debone the fish!
It's a tedious process that exhaust my energy since I have to invest all my focus into ensuring that not a single bone is left attached to the fish flesh!
Ohh! How I wish I can at least enjoy doing the fish deboning task.
Alright! Let's go through the details of this recipe down below.
FISH ASSAM LAKSA
Category : Laksa
Serving Size : 10 to 12 people
Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 1 hour and 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
Gravy:
3 mackerels (about 600 grams)
1 large can of sardine - remove the gravy
3 onions - cut into chunks
8 cm of toasted shrimp paste (I used Melaka shrimp paste)
20 pieces of dried red chilies
1 liter of water (to boil the mackerels)
800 ml of water (to blend the spices)
1 liter of water (to blend the fish bones)
1 liter of water (to dilute the gravy)
A handful of laksa/kesum leaves
2 torch ginger - halved
6 to 7 tamarind slices
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Other Ingredient:
1 to 2 packets of laksa noodles
Garnish:
Onion (I used Holland onion) - sliced
Cucumber - julienned
Limes - halved
Boiled eggs - halved
Salad - chopped
Green bird's eye chilies - sliced
INSTRUCTIONS:
To Prepare Laksa Gravy:
Clean the fish thoroughly until the strong fishy smell disappear.
Boil the fish with 1 liter of water over high heat for about 10 minutes, until the fishes are cooked through. Remove the fishes and place on a plate. Set aside to allow the fishes to turn warm, or until you can handle the fish with your hand.
When the fishes turned warm, carefully separate the flesh from the bones. Strain the fish stock and blend with the flesh.
Then, blend the fish bones with 1 liter of water and strain with a fine mesh strainer.
To prepare for the spices. Slit open dried red chilies by using a scissor and toss to remove some of the seeds. Skip this step if you prefer your laksa gravy to be spicier. Boil dried red chilies until soften and strain. Cut onions into large chunks and put in a blender. Add softened dried red chilies and toasted shrimp paste and blend finely with 800 ml of water.
Coarsely mash sardines with a fork.
Add kesum/laksa leaves, torch ginger and tamarind slices. Simmer the gravy over medium to low heat until it thickens to your desired consistency.
Lastly, season your laksa gravy with salt and sugar to taste.
To Prepare Laksa Noodles:
Soak laksa noodles (if you're using instant, dry laksa noodles) for 1 hour, or until the noodles are no longer stiff.
Strain the noodles.
Bring water to boil in a large pot. Then, boil strained laksa noodles with 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 15 to 20 minutes over medium heat, or until noodles are soft but are still chewy.
Strain the noodles.
To Assemble Assam Laksa:
Place some noodles in a bowl. Pour gravy over the noodles and top with julienned cucumber, chopped salad, sliced bird's eye chilies, sliced onion, boiled egg and lime.
Serve immediately.
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