If there’s one dish you have to try when in Penang, Malaysia, it has has to be this dish! The Assam Laksa! Malaysia is known for its laksas- which is a spicy noodle soup and you can get different types of it in the country. The Assam Laksa is the one which is from Penang.
Just to show you how great this dish is – CNN ranked the Penang Assam Laksa number 7 on the list of ‘World’s 50 Best Foods’ in 2020. And it’s the sole Malaysian dish that has been in this list for many many years now. That’s saying something because Malaysia has some absolutely amazing dishes.
What is it? It’s a bowl of thick wheat noodles that comes loaded with poached, flaked mackerel, tamarind, chilli, mint, lemongrass, onion, and pineapple. May sound a random mix, but nothing about it is random! It works like butter works on toast! The fishy taste in the broth is strong, but the tamarind and pineapple help to counter that perfectly.
It is addictive, spicy, sour and moreish all in one go. With each bite you get a different experience of flavours and tastes. I have a list of epic dishes where not many make it… this one is on that list!
I’ve tried this in Penang and outside of Penang. The ones outside of Penang do not compare, do not give the original dish its justice and as a matter of fact is quite insulting to the original. The one in Penang is going to be a powerful flavour explosion in your mouth and this power and these bold flavours are lacking to non-existent in the ones that are outside Penang. So, to truly experience this dish for what it is you have to book a ticket to Penang and enjoy it there. Seriously.
We were in Penang for only a day and a half. We flew in from Kuala Lumpur. After getting to the hotel from the airport, we dropped our bags off in the room and went straight to devour this. We went to the one on Penang Road – Penang Road Famous Laksa. The airport/flying experience was tiring, it was hot and we were feeling a bit homesick and in need of a rest, but the first bite/sip of this wonderful soup noodle dish woke me right up. Suddenly, I was happy, energised and ready for more adventuring. That’s the effect an epic dish can have on a person. It was a quick experience as I devoured the bowl in no time. The eatery was small and there was no one else in there at that time. There was no AC, so it was hot and the hot bowl of laksa made it feel even warmer, but did that bother me? No way! The wife didn’t like it as much as I did (can you tell I enjoyed it?), she found the broth too fishy.
Unfortunately, due to our limited time in Penang, we only had this dish once. Oh how I crave this dish even more for this reason. Will I ever end up back in Penang to enjoy this monstrous laksa!? I hope so! I’d fly back to Penang JUST for this!
There are two places that are famous for this dish. The first one is probably the most famous, but I should now say ‘was’ as they are closed now (read here) – Air Itam Laksa stall closed due to the financial effect of Covid-19. The other popular one is on Penang Road near the famous Cendol stall – Penang Road Famous Laksa.
I must add that my pictures don’t do it justice. I urge you to go onto YouTube and search Anthony Bourdain Assam Laksa (or click here) – if he loves it, you know it’s good! Also, see one of the pictures above for @foodrangers approval!
Getting There:
Google Location Link: click here
Picture credit:
Picture 2: @thedishelinguide on instagram
Picture 3, 4 and 5: @desired_tastes on instagram
Thank you!
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