(Written by Helen Wong & Recipe by Angela Ang) There was a time when it was hard to find Malaysian food in Hong Kong - unless you count the curry-powder flavoured, rice vermicelli dish listed as “Singapore noodles” on the menus of Hong Kong-style cafes. Although a good friend has childhood memories of eating them in her hometown in Malaysia, it appears this dish has no actual ties to Singapore. It was invented in Hong Kong in the 1960s and given that name to sound more exotic!
Thankfully it is now much easier to find more authentic Malaysian/Singaporean food in Hong Kong, even though my Malaysian and Singaporean friends would beg to differ. Despite the friendly rivalry which reminds me of the “Sydney-is-better-than-Melbourne” argument, is there really any difference between the two cuisines? The answer, it seems, is not really. Singapore was once part of Malaysia so they share a common culinary ancestry, and each side will admit that the other does some dishes better.
One dish common to both that I get cravings for is laksa. Until recently I thought there was only one type: the deliciously spicy, coconut milk-rich soupy noodle that I first tasted in Singapore. How wrong I was. It seems that each of Malaysia’s 13 states has their own version. Some add coconut milk to their soup base, others keep it strictly to fish or prawn stock. Each adds their own combination of preferred noodles and garnishes, but all are spicy and fragrant.
I recently went in search of a bowl of laksa and discovered there are three kinds in Hong Kong. First on my tasting list was the Singapore-style version at Lee Laksa, a bustling casual diner in Sheung Wan. I often passed by it and wanted to go in. At most places in Hong Kong and abroad this rich and spicy version, known as “laksa lemak” (or curry laksa) in Malaysia, is the one you will be served. Lee Laksa makes a pretty tasty bowl prepared with the traditional mix of a thick egg noodle and a thin rice vermicelli. My next sampling destination was Wanchai, where I found two Singaporean diners presenting a modern take on laksa lemak. Instead of the wheat-based egg noodles, laksas at JOM and Rempah Noodles come with “mai seen”, a rice noodle which I found to be lighter in taste and easier to digest.
If you simply order “laksa” in Malaysia, people assume you mean the Assam-style laksa for which Penang is famous. This is a spicy, tamarind sour, fish-based soup that comes with thick round rice noodles topped with flaked fish, fresh pineapple, mint, cucumber, red onion and a spoonful of a molasses-like shrimp paste. The soup is made with either sardines or mackerel, so the thick broth packs a fishy punch. It may not be to everyone’s liking, but I find it very tasty. Assam laksa is less common in Hong Kong but two places making authentic versions that get the thumbs up from my Malaysian friends are the popular Café Malacca in Sai Ying Pun and a little place called Nyonya Coming in Sheung Wan.
A more recent arrival to Hong Kong is the Sarawak laksa that celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once described as “the breakfast of the gods”. Intrigued, I went to try it at Uncle Ching from Kuching, a new, no-frills diner in Wanchai that lays claim to being the first to bring this East Malaysian laksa to Hong Kong. It’s a reddish, shrimp-based broth with a dash of coconut milk, featuring thin rice vermicelli noodles. “Think of it as a cross between a curry laksa and a peanutty dan-dan noodle,” said my lunch companion. Not knowing quite what to expect, I was a bit underwhelmed by this version, which has a lighter, more subtle broth than the other two kinds.
Which one is my favourite? It’s a tough call, but I would have to say the laksa lemak of Singapore, for its fragrant coconut milk broth. And luckily in Hong Kong, it’s getting easier to find a version that reminds me of the first bowl I ever tasted.
Laksa Lemak style Lee Laksa https://www.leelaksa.com/
Rempah Noodles https://www.rempahnoodles.com/
Assam Laksa style
Café Malacca https://www.cafemalacca.hk/
Sarawak Laksa style
Uncle Ching from Kuching https://www.uncleching.com/
After sampling the different laksas in Hong Kong, the next logical step was to try to make some at home. “How hard can it be?”, I asked myself. Not too hard, if you have a talented friend like Angela Ang. She grew up in Malaysia and is a marvellous cook. From her, I learned that the foundation of any decent laksa is the sambal paste and the broth. If you are attempting it solo, set aside a lot of time to buy the ingredients, make the laksa paste, and boil up a flavourful stock for the soup.
A lot goes into the luxe version Angela has devised, so we divided the shopping list. While I visited the local market for fresh and dry ingredients, Angela did all the hard work of developing and perfecting the spice paste. Her recipe calls for more than 12 ingredients including lemongrass, shallots, fresh turmeric, galangal, ginger, curry powder and some “belachan” shrimp paste dry-fried to release its pungency. She adds candlenuts to thicken the paste and give texture but leave them out if you can’t source them. Everything is ground into a fine paste which is gently sautéed in oil for about 20 minutes till fiery red with a glossy patina. The paste is now ready for use in the soup.
Nothing in Angela’s laksa goes to waste. Into two litres of water go the bones of the cooked chicken and the heads and shells of king prawns that will be toppings for our laksa. To this base stock, Angela adds shallots, a clove of garlic, lemongrass, fresh coriander stalks (keeping the leaves for garnish) and a slice of fresh ginger. This is boiled for 15 minutes then simmered for 30 minutes until you have about 1.5 litres of tasty stock. After straining the stock, gradually stir in the spice paste and half a cup of coconut milk. Then add some fried tofu puffs (“tau fu pok”) cut into halves and simmer till they have soaked up the flavours of the soup.
The next stage is to assemble your bowls. Noodles quickly cooked in hot water go in first. Malaysians like to mix yellow egg noodles (“yau mein’) and rice vermicelli (“mai fun”) for the contrast in texture, so we stick to this tradition. Then it’s time to dress the noodles. Angela’s laksa toppings are luxurious and more generous than anything you’ll find in a shop. She puts in shredded chicken, slices of Chinese roast pork with the crackling (“siu yuk”), cooked king prawns, slices of fish cake, hardboiled eggs, lightly blanched beansprouts, and plenty of fresh mint and coriander leaves for garnishing. Finally, ladle in the hot soup. Heaven in a bowl.
With her kind permission, Angela’s spice paste recipe appears below. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients – it is worth the time and effort and the paste can be used in lots of different ways apart from laksa. A tip: don’t skimp on the amount of oil, you really do need to use it all.
Angela’s Laksa Paste Recipe
This quantity is enough for 4 persons
Ingredients
1 stalk of lemongrass
300g shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 small piece of fresh turmeric
2cm knob of fresh galangal
2cm knob of fresh ginger
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
1 tablespoon dried shrimps
5-6 dried chillies (add more if prefer spicier)
5-6 fresh red chillies (chopped, remove seeds if prefer less spicy)
1/2 tablespoon “belachan” shrimp paste
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
3 candlenuts, also known as “buah keras” (optional). You can also substitute with macadamia nuts
Method
1. Put dried chillies and dried shrimp in a bowl. Pour in warm water to cover and let soak for 15 minutes or until softened. Save the soaking water to use later at the grinding stage.
2. Prepare all the other ingredients.
3. Use a blender or food processor to grind the lemongrass stalks, shallots, garlic, fresh turmeric, galangal root, fresh ginger, curry powder, the soaked chillies and shrimps, and candlenuts (if using) to form a thick paste. Add some of the soaking water as needed to keep the blades working.
4. Heat up a wok or deep saucepan and toast or dry fry the belachan till fragrant, breaking up the belachaninto smaller pieces.
5. Add all the oil to the belachan, stir in the blended paste and gently stir-fry on low to medium heat until the oil rises to the top and the mixture is coloured red. Keep stirring to prevent burning.
6. Around the 15-minute mark, season with the salt and sugar, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. Keep cooking for another 20 minutes. Taste and season again if needed.
7. The end product should be thick, red and glossy. This recipe should yield around 400gm of spice paste. Keep aside 4 tablespoons or more to use as a dipping sauce. The rest will go into the laksa soup base.
Note: The paste can be made ahead or after you have put the soup stock on to boil.
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