Quick Penang Asam Laksa

Name: Quick Penang Asam Laksa
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 red chillies; 1 red onion; 1 thumb sized galangal; 8 oz canned sardines in tomato sauce; 4 cup water; 3 lemongrass (, bruised); 1/2 bunch mint leaves (, tied); 3 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 1/4 cup concentrated tamarind for cooking (, or to taste); 1 lb pre-cooked udon noodles (, cook as per packet's instructions); 1 cup pineapple (, in small chunks); 2 baby lettuce leaves (, thinly sliced); 1/2 cucumber (, julienned); 1/2 red onion (, thinly sliced); 2 boiled egg (, halved); 1 lime (, cut in wedges); red chili (, sliced); mint leaves

Here's a recipe for the famous Quick Penang Asam Laksa, which originated in Malaysia. This dish consists of a hot bowl of tangy fish-based soup with thick rice noodles packed with umami flavor. The recipe also includes fresh herbs and aromatics that perfectly balance the flavors. It's an excellent option for a quick and simplified Asian dinner!

📮 Save this recipe for later!

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it.

Jump to:

What Is Asam Laksa?
Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients For This Recipe
Step-By-Step Instructions
Recipe Expert Tips
How To Store
Recipe FAQs
More Malaysian Recipes
Watch How To Make It
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

What Is Asam Laksa?

Asam laksa, or assam laksa, is a well-loved and popular dish in Southeast Asia. It's thick rice noodles garnished with fresh aromatic herbs in a fish-based soup. The soup is a unique and delicious balance combination of spicy, sweet, savory, and sour.

In my Malay language, asam means something that gives a sour flavor. Traditionally, asam laksa uses asam keeping, or sliced dried tamarind slices, to infuse the sourness into the dish. The fish-based soup is made by steaming or boiling mackerel fish, draining it, and blending it into a fine texture with aromatics like galangal and ginger torch.

Contrary to asam laksa, curry laksa is a rich, coconut-based soup that typically includes egg noodles, chicken, beef, shrimp, and green beans. Our quick curry laksa recipe is a must-try!

Why This Recipe Works

Being a Southeast Asian from Malaysia, I grew up eating asam laksa! My late father was from northern Malaysia, where this dish was easy to find. Now, living in a small city in Spain has forced me to be resourceful if I were to continue enjoying this fantastic asam laksa. I want it to be in a way that makes this recipe doable for people outside of Southeast Asian countries while still preserving its delicious essence! Just like I did with our fantastic beef rendang, slow-cooker chicken rendang, slow-cooker beef rendang, peanut satay sauce, and easy chicken satay.

Easier to find ingredients—By understanding the flavor and function of each ingredient, I've managed to make this Penang laksa recipe the closest to the real thing. I'm using ingredients that are easily found in typical foreign Asian stores!

Simplified method—Instead of boiling the fish, draining it, and blending it to make the soup, I'm simplifying the process using canned sardines! This makes the whole recipe faster and easier!

Doable anywhere—Our city in Spain is so tiny that it doesn't have an Asian store. We drive to another city to find my Asian ingredients. If this quick Penang asam laksa is easy for me to make, I'm going out on a limb and saying it's doable for you!

Ingredients For This Recipe

Noodles—Traditionally, thick rice noodles are used. I'm using udon noodles with a similar taste, texture, and appearance! Flat or vermicelli rice noodles also work amazingly.

Canned sardines—Canned mackerel lacks flavor compared to fresh ones traditionally used in laksa Penang recipes, so canned sardines work great. This is such a massive shortcut to this quick Penang asam laksa recipe! I use canned sardines in tomato sauce.

Tamarind—I use concentrated cooking tamarind, a thick liquid almost like heavy cream. It gives a smooth layer of sourness to this quick Penang asam laksa recipe and my easy Pad Thai. Asam laksa must be sour, but adjust it to your preference. Lime juice also works; add accordingly.

Galangal—Adds impressive depth and an earthy layer to the soup. It's usually in the freezer section in the Asian grocery store. Although not the same, ginger would also work.

Lemongrass—Adds an outstanding balance of subtle citrusy flavor to the soup, like in my lemongrass chicken turmeric noodle soup. It makes it less fishy. It's also usually in the freezer section in the Asian grocery store.

Mint leaves—To substitute ginger torch as they have similar essences. I like to tie them with a kitchen string so it's easier to discard them later before serving. Mint leaves are widely used in Asian cuisines, like my fresh Vietnamese lemongrass beef noodle salad and Lebanese flatbreads.

Fish sauce—It has a fantastic umami flavor! Despite its name, it doesn't taste fishy, we promise. If you don't have fish sauce, use soy sauce.

Garnish—The herbs and aromatics are meant to bring an excellent fresh component to this asam laksa. Each condiment's texture, flavor, and color complements the whole dish perfectly. Yes, don't knock the pineapple chunks, as they add a surprisingly delicious fresh, sweet, and tangy layer to every mouthful!

⭐ See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Make the soup base - Blend the chilies, onion, and galangal into a fine paste using a grinder or small blender. Do it in batches if needed. Set aside.

2. Prepare the sardines - Blend the sardines into a paste. You can also do this by mashing them with a fork.

3. Cook - Add the soup base, sardines, water, lemongrass, mint leaves, fish sauce, and sugar to a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.

4. Garnish and assemble - Meanwhile, prepare the garnish—thinly slice red onion, lettuce, chilies, and cucumber. Boil the eggs and cut them in halves. Cut pineapple into small chunks and limes into wedges. Boil the noodles as per the packet's instructions. To serve - Place noodles in a bowl and pour the soup on top. Garnish with the condiments and serve hot. Enjoy your quick Penang asam laksa!

Recipe Expert Tips

Use canned sardines in tomato sauce. They have more flavor than canned mackerel, and the tomato sauce adds a beautiful layer of acidity.
Use chilies as desired. An assam laksa recipe typically combines spicy, sour, sweet, and savory flavors. It's generally spicier in Malaysia, where dried chilies are used. I've made this recipe milder by using fresh chilies. Add or reduce as you see fit.
Aromatics. Fish out and discard the mint leaves and lemongrass before serving. Tie mint leaves with a kitchen string before cooking so it's easier to discard them.

How To Store

Store - This delicious quick Penang asam laksa lasts up to 5 days in the fridge if it lasts you that long! Keep the soup in an air-tight container. Reheat the soup with the noodles in the microwave, and only then add the garnish.

Recipe FAQs

What's the difference between curry laksa and asam laksa?

Both are noodle soups. Curry laksa has a rich coconut soup base, while asam laksa has a lighter, sour fish soup base. Curry laksa is usually eaten with egg noodles, while asam laksa is with rice noodles. Our quick curry laksa recipe is one of our favorite fast Asian dinners!

Where is Laksa from?

Laksa is a Peranakan or Nyonya cuisine. It originated from Chinese immigrants who married Malays and settled in Malaysia (mainly in Penang and Malacca), Indonesia, and Singapore.

More Malaysian Recipes

⭐ If you tried this Quick Penang Asam Laksa or any other recipe on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the comments below!