LAKSA
Laksa is one of the signature dishes of the Singapore Cuisine and is known as Curry Laksa , Laksa Lemak or Nonya Laksa .
It's a local creation , part of the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) culture that combines Malay and Chinese cuisines and basically is made of noodles , fishcake , prawns , cockles , bean sprouts in a spicy coconut based soup served with a spoonful of sambal chilli , garnished with laksa leaves . However, as most Peranakan recipes go, it has since developed into several variations based on influences from around the region. Laksa Lemak, named for its rich and creamy coconut gravy, is a variant unique to Singapore.
What makes a good Laksa is its gravy - a "lemak" coconut milk curry gravy that is not so thick that you start to gag after two mouthfuls yet is watery enough that you can drink it like a soup. Lemak is a culinary description in the Malay language which specifically refers to the presence of coconut milk which adds a distinctive richness to a dish .It is your basic curry with just the right dose of coconut milk to distinguish it from the curry you would normally eat with rice or noodles. In the gravy is added sliced Tau Pok (deep fried beancurd puffs) which should have simmered in the gravy long enough that they are limp from having absorbed the rich flavour. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) is also common and some variants use other types.
Most stalls would add a tinge of laksa leaves (Vietnamese coriander or daun kesum in Malay) to give it the additional aroma . The noodles and bean sprouts are blanched then placed in a bowl together with sliced fish cakes, a hard-boiled egg, prawns and cockles before a generous ladel-full of gravy is heaped on top. Some vendors also add shredded chicken meat. The dish is then garnished with daun kesum (laksa leaves) and a spoonful of sambal chilli for extra kick.
The east coast of Singapore , especially the Katong area, is considered the heart of the Peranakan community ,no surprise that you find some of the best Laksa in this area. The famous Katong Laksa is slightly different from other types of laksa lemak in that it only offers one type of noodle Chor Bee Hoon and this is cut into smaller pieces so that you need only a spoon to eat it.
There’s also a lighter , more tangy , almost a different dish , version of the dish known as Assam or Penang Laksa , originally from Penang Malaysia which is a sour fish soup with noodles .
The Laksa’s versatility has allowed it to incorporate a Western palate in recent times, giving rise to fusion dishes such as the laksa pasta, which, although isn’t quite the real deal, is still delicious nonetheless. One can also find Laksa Yong Tau Foo , lobster Laksa, and even plain Laksa, with just noodles and gravy.
Laksa is somehow close to Curry Chicken Noodles but with two main differences , the ingredients are different and the amount of coconut milk added to the curry. Curry Chicken Noodles main ingredient besides the yellow noodle is the chicken but for Laksa there are no main ingredients but a whole variety of must have like taufu pok (deep fried tofu), shredded chicken, eggs, cockles, bean sprouts and prawns and also Laksa has more coconut milk , its gravy is not as viscous as curry, slightly thinner so you can actually drink it.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
It's a local creation , part of the Peranakan (Straits Chinese) culture that combines Malay and Chinese cuisines and basically is made of noodles , fishcake , prawns , cockles , bean sprouts in a spicy coconut based soup served with a spoonful of sambal chilli , garnished with laksa leaves . However, as most Peranakan recipes go, it has since developed into several variations based on influences from around the region. Laksa Lemak, named for its rich and creamy coconut gravy, is a variant unique to Singapore.
What makes a good Laksa is its gravy - a "lemak" coconut milk curry gravy that is not so thick that you start to gag after two mouthfuls yet is watery enough that you can drink it like a soup. Lemak is a culinary description in the Malay language which specifically refers to the presence of coconut milk which adds a distinctive richness to a dish .It is your basic curry with just the right dose of coconut milk to distinguish it from the curry you would normally eat with rice or noodles. In the gravy is added sliced Tau Pok (deep fried beancurd puffs) which should have simmered in the gravy long enough that they are limp from having absorbed the rich flavour. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) is also common and some variants use other types.
Most stalls would add a tinge of laksa leaves (Vietnamese coriander or daun kesum in Malay) to give it the additional aroma . The noodles and bean sprouts are blanched then placed in a bowl together with sliced fish cakes, a hard-boiled egg, prawns and cockles before a generous ladel-full of gravy is heaped on top. Some vendors also add shredded chicken meat. The dish is then garnished with daun kesum (laksa leaves) and a spoonful of sambal chilli for extra kick.
The east coast of Singapore , especially the Katong area, is considered the heart of the Peranakan community ,no surprise that you find some of the best Laksa in this area. The famous Katong Laksa is slightly different from other types of laksa lemak in that it only offers one type of noodle Chor Bee Hoon and this is cut into smaller pieces so that you need only a spoon to eat it.
There’s also a lighter , more tangy , almost a different dish , version of the dish known as Assam or Penang Laksa , originally from Penang Malaysia which is a sour fish soup with noodles .
The Laksa’s versatility has allowed it to incorporate a Western palate in recent times, giving rise to fusion dishes such as the laksa pasta, which, although isn’t quite the real deal, is still delicious nonetheless. One can also find Laksa Yong Tau Foo , lobster Laksa, and even plain Laksa, with just noodles and gravy.
Laksa is somehow close to Curry Chicken Noodles but with two main differences , the ingredients are different and the amount of coconut milk added to the curry. Curry Chicken Noodles main ingredient besides the yellow noodle is the chicken but for Laksa there are no main ingredients but a whole variety of must have like taufu pok (deep fried tofu), shredded chicken, eggs, cockles, bean sprouts and prawns and also Laksa has more coconut milk , its gravy is not as viscous as curry, slightly thinner so you can actually drink it.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs