Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Malaysian

Penang assam laksa

Non-vegetarian

Asam laksa Pulau Pinang

Thick rice noodles in a hot, sour tamarind and mackerel broth, topped with a crunchy pile of cucumber, pineapple, onion, chilli and mint.

Penang assam laksa is a Malaysian noodle dish, ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes and made with mackerel, tamarind paste and rice noodles. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of sour assam laksa with shredded cucumber, onion and mint
Photo: Misaochan / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 15 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
673

Ingredients

4 servings

For the paste

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the mackerel (opens in a new tab) in the water until cooked. Lift out, flake the flesh and return bones and heads to the pot to simmer 15 minutes; strain.

    Food safety: Cook fish until it is opaque and flakes easily (63 °C).

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Blend the chillies, shallots (opens in a new tab), lemongrass (opens in a new tab), galangal (opens in a new tab), turmeric (opens in a new tab) and shrimp paste (opens in a new tab) to a paste.

  3. Step 3

    Stir the paste and tamarind into the stock with most of the flaked fish. Simmer until the broth is thick, sour and fragrant; season with sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt.

    • 15 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Put noodles in bowls, ladle over the hot broth and pile on cucumber (opens in a new tab), pineapple (opens in a new tab), onion, daun kesum (opens in a new tab), lettuce (opens in a new tab) and chilli.

    • 5 min

About this dish

Origin
Penang, Malaysia · Well documentedAlso popular in SingaporeMore food from Malaysia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Noodles · Soups
Cooking method
Simmered, Boiled
Taste
sour, spicy (chilli heat), umami, fresh
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-fat
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food
Cook more with
Mackerel · Tamarind paste · Rice noodles · Dried whole chillies · Shallot · Lemongrass
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom mackerel
  • Contains: Crustaceansfrom shrimp paste

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

673 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 809 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 57%
  • Fat 25%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy673 kcal83 kcal
Protein31.2 g3.9 g
Carbohydrate94.9 g11.7 g
Net carbohydrate89 g11 g
Sugars18.5 g2.3 g
Added sugars3.1 g0.4 g
Fibre6 g0.7 g
Fat18.6 g2.3 g
Saturated fat4.3 g0.5 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol88 mg11 mg
Sodium976 mg121 mg
Salt equivalent2.4 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1087 mg
Calcium
132 mg
Iron
5.6 mg
Magnesium
168 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
175 µg
Vitamin C
28 mg
Vitamin D
20.1 µg
Vitamin B12
10.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
60 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: fresh red chilli.
  • Galangal: Fresh ginger used as a stand-in: no galangal entry in FDC SR Legacy, and galangal is a closely related rhizome used in similar small amounts.
  • Shrimp paste: Fish sauce (FDC 174531) at 1.5× as a stand-in salted fermented seafood condiment; protein is understated.
  • Tamarind paste: Raw tamarind pulp (FDC 167763). Commercial concentrates vary in water content.
  • Laksa leaf (Vietnamese coriander): Coriander leaves used as a stand-in for this leafy herb, eaten in similar small amounts.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Mash some of the fish into the broth — it gives the body assam laksa is known for.

Common mistakes

  • Skimping on the sour: the broth should be boldly tart.

Serve with

  • Drizzle with hae ko (black prawn paste) thinned with hot water, as in Penang.

Storage

  • Broth keeps 3 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat broth to a simmer; assemble fresh.

Variations

  • Kedah laksa: A northern version with a thinner, less sweet broth.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like