Grow Your Own : Asam Laksa
Grow your own 2008 is one of the event created by Andrea’s Recipes and it is hosted by Noob Cook. The rules for this GYO submission is you have to use at least one home grown herbs in the dish that you need to submit for this event. Hmmmm… I love to grow my own herbs at home but to be frank I hardly use it. Only once in a blue moon I will used it for cooking when I came across one that used the herbs I grow in my garden. For these few years I have grown my own pandan leaves, daun kaduk, bunga telang ( the blue colour flowers ), Thai basil leaves, mint leaves, curry leaves, and bunga kantan. I don’t know why I just loves to grow these herbs and it can be one of the plant that used to beautify the garden instead of planting some potted flowers.
My submission for this GYO event would be a Penang famous dish … Asam Laksa. There is one Sunday afternoon I was chatting with Sis about my home grown herbs that were given away to all my Malay neighbours. Then Sis suggested to me why not we cook Asam Laksa since I have bunga kantan and the mint leaves in the garden. Furthermore all of us are craving for it. Here you go the recipe is adapted from The Star Online-Kuali.
Bunga Kantan or Torch Ginger Plant
Mint leaves planted in a pot. I just love the mint smell.
Wow… I am starting to drools while writing this post 
Ingredients :
(A) Ground spices :
15 fresh red chillies
15 dried red chillies
150g shallots
10 cloves garlic
40g galangal (lengkuas)
2cm knob fresh turmeric root
1 tsp belacan stock granules
(B)
4 tbsp tamarind paste (asam jawa), mixed and strained to obtain tamarind juice
300ml water
10 sprigs polygonum leaves (daun kesom)
3 pieces dried tamarind skin (asam keping)
3 stalks lemon grass, lightly smashed
1.8 litres water
(C)
1 kg mackerel (ikan kembung) or horse mackerel (ikan selar kuning), cleaned
1 cup water
1 kg fresh laksa noodles
Seasoning ingredients:
2 tbsp sugar or to taste
Salt to taste
Garnishing
1 wild ginger bud (bunga kantan), halved and finely shredded
1 cucumber shredded
1/2 pineapple, sliced and shredded
1 onion, finely sliced
2 red chillies, seeded and sliced
A few sprigs mint leaves (daun pudina)
Prawn paste (har koe), diluted with water to a drizzle consistency
Method :
1. Boil fish in just enough water. When cooked, remove the fish and strain the stock. Then flake the fish and set the fish aside.
2. Put tamarind juice, ground ingredients (A), water and fish stock in a pot. Add polygonum leaves, dried tamarind skin and lemon grass. Bring to a low simmering boil for 10 minutes. Add the flaked fish and seasoning to taste. Continue to simmer for an extra 1–2 minutes.
3. To serve, put a handful of laksa noodles in a metal strainer and immerse in a pot of boiling water to scald the noodles for half a minute. Drain and put into a bowl. Pour a ladleful of laksa soup or gravy over the noodles and garnish with a little of each garnish. Drizzle a little prawn paste over and serve immediately. You can also serve the prawn paste separately.
Do you grown your own food too? To participate please check it out here.Closing date for submission is 15th September 2008, at 23.59 hours.
11:15 PM | Filed under: Events & Party, Noodles, Plants
noobcook says:
wahhhh… amazing… I am so impressed by your healthy looking plants. You’re lucky I don’t stay near to you, else I will bug you non stop for plant cuttings
Green fingers? I think you have green hands and arms 
And oh, looking at your yummy laksa dish past midnight here is making me sooo hungry! lol
Thank you for participating in GYO and for helping to publicize the event on your blog ^o^
Hahaha.. .green hands and arms? You’re welcome, hopefully more ppl will join in this event.
September 12th, 2008 at 12:32 am
cat cat says:
Cis, it’s lunch time right now and I’m drooling all over.
Aduiii…. soli la.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:09 am
skinnymum says:
Wow, looks yummy, so much better than the best of the best in Penang.
Great pictures1
Hahaha… TQ, TQ. You think I can bukak kedai d ?;)
September 12th, 2008 at 2:17 am
Andrea says:
That looks and sounds very tasty. Your bunga kantan is a beautiful plant. Welcome to Grow Your Own!
Hi, Andrea. Thanks and I am glad I took part in GYO.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:42 am
FamilyFirst says:
Wow! You cook, blog and even grow your own herbs! A real super mom!
No leh… no supermom la. It is just my hobby and interest in it.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
renet13 says:
Brilliant idea. I have a mini herb garden too like the purple cabai burung, “chen hong for asam fish, curry leaves and pandan. Especially the basil and mint. As my kids love spaghetti, I just pluck from my garden and add the fresh basil mints to the sauce.
Where can I get the bunga kantan plant to plant in my garden? I normally see those already cut out and sell in the market for laksa. Where to find the plant? Plant nursery?
Good to hear you have your herbs garden too. Next time can exchange experience in plants d. The bunga kantan plant I get from my aunty house. Just pluck the young anak from the tree. Better plant one now cos those selling outside is so expensive.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
3lilangels says:
Impressive… not only a good cook, but a good gardener too. I only have daun pandan in my garden, since my curry leaves and chilli plant dried up. Am inspired now to grow them again… And mint too. Must say I haven’t heard of bunga telang before. Is that used for dyeing nyonya kueh blue?
Wanna ask u, chilli plant very hard to plant one ya. Mine kept drying up and I also dont understand why. When you dont take care of them they will grow nicely. When you took care of it, it is the other way round. Haizzz… ya the bunga telang is to make the blue nyonya kueh eat with kaya.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
emily says:
Asam Laksa is great for dieters! Yumms! Tks for sharing!
BTW, how does the bunga telang plant looks like? I am interested in this plant!
Wah I got a few enquiry on bunga telang too. I think I will post it up and show u my bunga telang plant.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
slavemom says:
I love assam laksa.. to dip with fried popiah. But I don’t take the laksa noodle coz I don’t like it. hahaha
Oh ya lor in Penang hor behind Cold Storage, there is one mamak uncle sell the popiah dip with the asam laksa soup one. Wah hoh chiak la.
September 12th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Irene says:
yooooooooorrrr.. sedap!!!!
Hihihi… got lau hau sui or not ?
September 13th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Little Corner of Mine says:
Oh yummy! And I see Ang koo kuih! *slurp*
Hahahaha
September 14th, 2008 at 1:47 am
constance says:
i miss all that herbs. mum’s house has them. u know if u have the bunga kantan, you can also use it to make assam curry fish.. my mum will cook them in halves. i love to eat that in the fish curry!
September 16th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Mazidah says:
hi, your herbs looks fresh & green, i suppose its the tender loving care given to it. Your laksa looks yummy, my mouth is watering already, & tq for the recipe.Its the chinese style laksa i.ve been looking for for quite a while…
tahu makan saje….
Hahaha… but those herbs cant last long one and it will dry off at times. Maybe ada shelf life la.
November 13th, 2008 at 10:10 pm