Laksa

Laksa

Course	Lunch
Place of origin	Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
Region or state	Southeast Asia
Main ingredients	Laksa noodles or rice vermicelli, coconut milk, curry soup base
Variations	Laksa, Asam laksa, Curry laksa, Nyonya laksa, Laksa lemak

Laksa
Chinese	叻沙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin lèshā
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	喇沙
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin lǎshā

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	lèshā

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	lǎshā

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup in the Peranakan cuisine. Laksa consists of rice noodles or rice vermicelli with chicken, prawn or fish, served in spicy soup; either based on rich and spicy curry coconut milk, or based on sour asam (tamarind or gelugur). It can be found in Malaysia,Singapore, Indonesia and Southern Thailand.

There are various theories about the origins of laksa. In Indonesia, the dish is believed to have been born from the Chinese coastal settlements and the mixing of cultures between Chinese merchants and the local cooking practices. As Peranakan Chinese communities have blended their ancestors' culture with local culture, Peranakan communities in different places now demonstrate diversity according to the local flavour. In Malaysia, the dish is believed to have been introduced by Chinese immigrants in Malacca. In Singapore, the dish (or its local "Katong" version) is believed to have been created after interaction between the Peranakans with the local Singaporeans.

Various recipes of laksas have gained popularity in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia; and subsequently international recognition. Initially in July 2011, CNN Travel ranked Penang Asam Laksa 7th out of the 50 most delicious foods in the world. Its rank however, fell to number 26th after CNN held an online poll by 35,000 people, published in September 2011. Singaporean Curry Laksa on the other hand ranked in number 44th.

In Indonesia, laksa is one of the traditional comfort foods; the spicy warm noodle soup is much appreciated during cold rainy days. However, its popularity is somewhat overshadowed by soto, a similar hearty warm soup dish, which is often consumed with rice instead of noodles. In modern households, it is common practice to mix and match the recipes of laksas; if traditional laksa noodle is not available, Japanese udon noodles might be used instead.

The type of laksa is based upon the soup base employed in its recipe; either rich and savoury coconut milk, fresh and sour asam (tamarind, gelugur or kokum), or the combination of the two. There are three basic types of laksa: curry laksa, asam laksa and other variant that can be identified as either curry or asam laksa. Curry laksa is a coconut milk curry soup with noodles, while asam laksa is a sour, most often tamarind-based, soup with noodles. Thick rice noodles also known as laksa noodles are most commonly used, although thin rice vermicelli (bee hoon or mee hoon) are also common, and some recipes might create their own rice noodle from scratch. Some variants might use other types of noodles; Johor laksa for example uses spaghetti, while a fusion recipe might use Japanese udon noodle.

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Wikipedia