Penang Noodle Soup - Penang Asam Laksa  Add/Read Comments

One ingredient that, and I stand to be corrected, is unavailable in the UK is Knotgrass (I substituted coriander). My little bible - Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine by Christina Sjahir Hwang - has a handy description of many ingredients at the beginning of the book. While the knotgrass was deemed essential for the authentic flavour of the Soup I'm pretty pleased with the results - maybe not as spicy as I recall from my travels in Malaysia & Singapore but mighty tasty.

Penang Noodle Soup Penang Asam Laksa
serves 2

• 450g mackerel


• 5 cups seafood stock


• 3 tbsp chili paste


• 5 tbsp tamarind juice


• 2 crushed lemon grass


• 1 1/2 tsp sat


• 1 tsp sugar


• 20 knotgrass leaves


• 1/4 cup diced pineapple


• 2 sliced shallots


• 2 shredded red chili peppers


• 1/2 cucumber peeled and shredded


• 450g Vienamese rice noddles

Bring to the boil the stock, choli paste, tamarind juice with the lemon grass. Add the fish and cook for 6 minutes until he fish is cooked.

Drain the liquid through a sieve and return to the boil. Add the salt and sugar and the shredded fish meat. Add the knotgrass before turning off the heat.

Cook the noodls and divide into two portions. Top with the pineapple, shallots, chili and cucumber before pouring the soup over the top.