YUMMY LAKSA: It Gives Me Not Just Satisfaction But also Perspiration.

You wont be able to say that you have been in Malaysia or Singapore without trying to taste their famous LAKSA (a curry noodle). Usually you wilbe able to find these sumptuous noodle soup along Jalan Petaling in the heart of the China Town and every mamak areas where you can order it hot.

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from PERANAKAN culture also known as Baba and Nyonya, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in malaysia and Singapore. The term laksa is used to describe two different types of noodle soup dishes: curry laksa and assam laksa. Curry laksa refers to noodles served in coconut curry soup, while assam laksa refers to noodles served in sour fish soup. Usually, thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are preferred, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) is also common and some variants use other types.

It’s a funny thing, Laksa. At risk of incurring the wrath of Malaysians, it’s a little like creamy soup, only more pungent and has a pleasant sourish tang. It’s not as over the top fiery as tom yam, so the spiciness doesn’t hit you like a locomotive, but it does have a peculiar way of getting under your skin.

Variants of curry laksa include:

• Laksa lemak, also known as nyonya laksa (Malay: Laksa nyonya), is a type of laksa with a rich coconut gravy. 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. As the name implies, it is made with a rich, slightly sweet and strongly spiced coconut gravy. Laksa lemak is usually made with a fish-based gravy and is heavily influenced by Thai laksa (Malay: Laksa Thai), perhaps to the point that one could say they are one and the same.

• Laksam, a speciality of the Northeastern Malaysian states of Kelantan and Terengganu, is made with very thick flat white rice flour noodles in a rich, full-bodied white gravy of boiled fish and coconut milk. Though usually made of fish flesh, it i sometimes made with eels. Traditionally laksam is eaten with hands rather than with eating utensils due to the gravy's thick consistency.

• Katong laksa (Malay: Laksa Katong) is a variant of laksa lemak from the Katong area of Singapore. In Katong laksa, the noodles are normally cut up into smaller pieces so that the entire dish can be eaten with a spoon alone (that is, without chopsticks or a fork). Katong laksa is a strong contender for the heavily competed title of Singapore's national dish.

Try it and enjoy!!! Visit Malaysia and Singapore and try it for your self.