Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Penang Asam Laksa
A tart, spicy mackerel-and-tamarind noodle soup topped with pineapple, mint, and ginger flower, Penang's iconic bowl.
Malaysian · medium · serves 4
prep 30 min · cook 40 min
~200 cal · 10g protein · 38g carbs · 2g fat · 3g fiber · 5g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Penang asam laksa is one of Malaysia's most famous dishes and a symbol of the island's celebrated food culture. Unlike the rich, coconut-based curry laksas, this is a bracingly sour and spicy fish soup, its name asam referring to the that gives it its tang.
The broth is made from flaked mackerel simmered with , , , chili, and fragrant laksa leaves (daun kesum) into a hot-sour base, then poured over thick rice noodles. What makes it sing is the topping: shredded cucumber, raw onion, pineapple, mint, and torch ginger flower, with a dark, funky spoonful of prawn paste (heko) stirred in. Refreshing and intensely flavoured, it is unlike any coconut laksa.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 lb mackerel, poached and flaked
1 lb thick rice noodles (laksa noodles)
1/2 cup pulp
1/2 cup , , turmeric, and chili paste
1 small bunch laksa leaves (daun kesum)
Hard to find? equal parts mint and cilantro - the standard stand-in for kesum, whose peppery edge has no true double; Vietnamese grocers sell the real leaf as rau ram
2 tbsp prawn paste (heko)
4 cups cucumber, pineapple, onion, and mint
1 torch ginger flower, sliced
Instructions
1
Simmer the flaked fish with the tamarind, chili paste, laksa leaves, and aromatics into a hot-sour broth.
2
Taste and balance the broth so it is boldly sour, spicy, and savoury all at once.
✎ Chef’s note
Push the sourness and salt further than feels comfortable; the cool raw toppings mellow it, so a timid broth ends up bland.
3
Cook the thick rice noodles and divide among bowls.
4
Ladle over the broth and pile on cucumber, pineapple, onion, mint, and ginger flower, with prawn paste stirred in.
Penang street-food tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Penang. Penang is Malaysia's street-food capital, where Chinese, Malay, and Indian traditions collide in char kway teow, assam laksa, and nasi kandar. Hawker stalls make it one of Asia's great eating cities.
🗺️
Malaysia. The hawker centre and the mamak stall are the country's two great equalisers, open late, run by families, and serving three culinary traditions within a few metres. Roti canai is stretched, slapped and folded to order, laksa changes completely depending on which state you are in, and everything comes with a saucer of sambal on the side.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Malaysia
Char Kway TeowFlat rice noodles seared in a screaming wok with prawns, egg, chives, and dark soy, Penang’s hawker crown.
Nasi LemakFragrant coconut rice with spicy sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, and egg, Malaysia's national breakfast.
Kuih Seri MukaA two-layer sweet of coconut sticky rice under a smooth pandan custard, a jewel of the Malaysian kuih table.
Browse all Malaysia recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Best fresh. Leftovers keep 2 days refrigerated; loosen with a splash of water or oil as you reheat so they do not clump.
Make it a Malaysia meal
Teh TarikDrink
Kuih Seri MukaDessert
Char Kway TeowDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Penang Asam Laksa?
A tart, spicy mackerel-and-tamarind noodle soup topped with pineapple, mint, and ginger flower, Penang's iconic bowl.
Where does Penang Asam Laksa come from?
Penang Asam Laksa is a Malaysian dish from Penang, Malaysia.
Can Penang Asam Laksa be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Penang Asam Laksa recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Penang Asam Laksa safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Penang Asam Laksa take to make?
About 70 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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