Penang Asam Laksa: The Cadillac of Noodle Soups

The Asam Laksa is known throughout South East Asia as one of the best noodle soup dishes ever. Penang apparently is THE place to get the real deal.

Now, I had read stories online about Penang Asam Laksa and all its majesty. I desperately tried to find it back home, but the best I could come up with was coconut laksa – and I wasn’t too impressed with it either.

Before I continue, it should be said that I have a high bar set for noodle soups. As I’ve noted before, I myself am Vietnamese – with that I have known the world champion of noodle soups – Pho. I also know the light and middleweight champions: Bun Rue and Bun Bo Hue.

So when I heard that the Asam Laksa is perhaps a worthy challenger, I owed it to myself to see it it was true. In Penang, I finally had a chance to try their acclaimed noodle soup.

It definitely is a very tasty soup dish. Its stock is complex in flavour, not bland by any means, and the combination of ingredients makes for a hearty dish.

The tamarind based broth has a nice tart kick and the whole dish is steeped in a seafood aroma.

The broth isn’t a runny soup, but a slightly thicker sauce.

Thick and chewy rice noodles gave it a nice texture, and toppings of meats, fish, and vegetables provided a nice variety.

Topped off with basil and mint leaves, (as well as a pungent, horrid smelling shrimp paste..ugh…)the Penang Asam Laksa sure earned its title as Penang’s signature dish.

BUT…

It isn’t better than Pho. It’s a bit unfair comparing the two, since they both have very different base stocks, however if we’re talking about pure tastiness it loses out.

I found it actually very similar to Bun Rue, a tomato-based crab noodle soup dish from Vietnam. Both are seafood based and have a tart broth, and so this is probably a better comparison. I still like Bun Rue better =P

Some say I have to eat Penang Asam Laksa from Stall No.11 on Gurney Drive – maybe that’ll turn the tide for me!