Asam Laksa (Nyonya Noodles in Fish Broth)

Name: Asam Laksa (Nyonya Noodles in Fish Broth)
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 1.5 lb mackerel fish; 8 cup water (for the stock); 5 piece asam keping (dried tamarind slices); 1 lb laksa noodles; 15 piece dried red chilies; 5 piece fresh red chilies; 8 piece small shallots; 1 inch galangal; 2 tbsp belacan (shrimp paste); 1 stalk lemongrass; 1 piece tamarind pulp (golf-ball size); 0.5 cup water (for extracting tamarind, ½ cup at a time); 1 tsp salt; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 piece cucumber, julienned; 1 bunch mint leaves; 1 bunch polygonum leaves (daun kesom / laksa leaf); 1 piece bunga kantan (torch ginger flower), sliced; 1 piece red onion, thinly sliced; 1 piece lettuce, thinly cut; 1 piece red chili (or 3-4 bird's eye chilies), sliced; 1 piece small pineapple, cut into short strips; 4 tbsp Heh Ko (prawn paste); 3 tbsp oil (for sautéing the paste)

Penang's iconic sour-and-spicy noodle soup: a tangy tamarind fish broth over rice noodles, piled with cucumber, mint, torch ginger, pineapple and a spoonful of prawn paste.

35 min 4 servingsRasa Malaysia Source

Extracted by chinwei271Extracted 1 Jul 2026

Nutrition· per serving · estimated

565

Calories

61g

Protein

60g

Carbs

21g

Fat

Scale recipe

4 servings

Original recipe

Ingredients24 items

Produce

🌶️dried red chilies15 piece

🌶️fresh red chilies5 piece

🧅small shallots8 piece

🫚galangal1 inch

🌿lemongrass1 stalk

🥒cucumber, julienned1 piece

🌿mint leaves1 bunch

🌿polygonum leaves (daun kesom / laksa leaf)1 bunch

🌸bunga kantan (torch ginger flower), sliced1 piece

🧅red onion, thinly sliced1 piece

🥬lettuce, thinly cut1 piece

🌶️red chili (or 3-4 bird's eye chilies), sliced1 piece

🍍small pineapple, cut into short strips1 piece

Seafood

🐟mackerel fish1½ lb

Pantry

🟤asam keping (dried tamarind slices)5 piece

🍜laksa noodles1 lb

🦐belacan (shrimp paste)2 tbsp

🟤tamarind pulp (golf-ball size)1 piece

🍬sugar2 tbsp

🦐Heh Ko (prawn paste)4 tbsp

🛢️oil (for sautéing the paste)3 tbsp

Spices

🧂salt1 tsp

Other

💧water (for the stock)8 cup

💧water (for extracting tamarind, ½ cup at a time)½ cup

Instructions

1
Clean the fish by removing the scales and guts.
2
In a pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil, add the fish and boil for about 10 minutes.
10:00 timer
3
Transfer the cooked fish to a bowl to cool, then strain the fish stock back into the pot.
4
Add the asam keping and polygonum leaves to the stock and continue boiling over low heat.
5
Keeping your hands wet, flake the fish flesh off the bones, break it into small pieces and return it to the stock; cover and reduce the heat.
6
Grind the dried chilies, fresh chilies, shallots, galangal, belacan and lemongrass into a fine spice paste.
7
Heat a wok with oil and sauté the spice paste for 6-8 minutes, until aromatic and spicy.
8:00 timer
8
Transfer the sautéed paste into the boiling stock.
9
Soak the tamarind pulp in ½ cup water, then extract and strain the juice into the stock, keeping back the seeds; repeat 3-4 times to draw out all the essence.
10
Taste and adjust with salt and sugar until the broth is pleasantly sour.
11
Cook the laksa noodles according to the package, then divide among serving bowls.
12
Top the noodles with cucumber, mint, torch ginger flower, red onion, lettuce, sliced chili and pineapple.
13
Pour the hot fish broth over the noodles and serve immediately with a spoonful of Heh Ko (prawn paste).

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CuisineMalaysian