Penang Assam Laksa

So this post is going to be a bit different from the usual.

I decided to take a last minute trip to Southeast Asia to meet two friends, Marta and Shannon, traveling there. Not sure where the impulsiveness came from, but here I am.  One week in Indonesia, one in Malaysia, and a few days on an island in Thailand.  The girls are doing a longer trip (one 8 weeks, one 4 months!), so I'm tagging along for this portion of it.

Right now, I'm in Penang, which is just incredible.  Little India and Chinatown press right up against one another, mixed right in with the Malay culture.  It's spectacular - and especially the food. And the stands on the streets are where it's at - Penang is known for its hawker food.

Above, an array of hawker fare. Below, the only way to eat lunch.

We decided to do a cooking class, which I've always dreamed of doing. The cooking class was called Nazlina Spice Station, named after the chef and teacher herself.  It was fantastic, and comes highly recommended.

Nazlina herself above, guiding us through the ingredients.

We started off in the early morning, had a quick breakfast of roti and tea and then headed to the Wet Market.  It was pouring rain, which made all of the colors and smells run together.

The markets were incredible - everything was so fresh. Fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and spices jostled each other for room; the dull thuds of meat cleavers mingled with the murmurs of early morning shoppers.  I wish I could shop like this every day, in the fresh air and among the unadorned stalls.  This is the way everyone should be allowed to shop, and this is what people should be allowed to buy.

The menu for our lunch was twofold: Assam (or Penang) Laksa and Popia Spring Rolls.  The spring rolls will be in a forthcoming post, but this post will be dedicated to the laksa, Penang's most famous dish. This is a tangy, fish-based noodle soup, garnished with fresh mint, raw onion and pineapple.  It's spectacular. I've never eaten anything that so completely baffled my taste buds. So many flavors all at once.

 I fully intended to keep track of all the ingredients and steps, but there were so many of each that I gave up trying.  We did everything from scratch - the spices, the stock, etc. So here is its creation in pictures, to the best of my abilities.

First, the fish-based broth, from market to creation:

We boiled the fish to make the first part of the stock, adding in tamarind for flavor.

We deboned the fish, and ground up both the flesh and the bones, separately.

Then re-cooked the bones for a second stock.

We then made a fresh chile paste made of chile peppers, onion, garlic and a few other crazier ingredients.

Then added that back to the original stock and fish.

Both stocks were combined, straining out the bones, and adding in gingerflower and mint.

 The gingerflower:

 The mint:

The smoother mint leaves are Vietnamese mint - we used a mixture of both. 

Finally, the fresh rice noodles - I've tried and failed to make these more times than I care to admit. The trick is to buy them pre-cooked and fresh, then to take a bit in a stainer and dip it into boiling water. Separate the noodles, and then drain immediately.

We then poured the stock over the noodles, and added a garnish of pineapple, mint, onion and a dollop of fish sauce. Sprinkle with lime, and there you go:

There were other steps and ingredients that I simply didn't get, so sadly, this recipe will live on in memory only.