JP\/18\/Town<\/p>\n
Culinary festival takes regional journey via laksa<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi
\nThe Jakarta Post<\/p>\n
Clear or rich, tang or savory, laksa is one of the most
\nversatile soups that comes in many different versions. In
\naddition, this one-meal dish is proof that the Malay people of
\nSoutheast Asia have a shared culinary heritage.<\/p>\n
The dish, which literally means \"ten thousand\" and indicates a
\nwealth of tradition and customs, has its roots in the Baba-Nyonya
\ncuisine of old that thrived in the region. Like other Baba-Nyonya
\ncuisine, laksa is characterized by the abundant use of Malay
\nspices and fragrant herbs blended with Chinese ingredients, like
\ntofu, noodle and rice vermicelli.<\/p>\n
As Nyonya cuisine and culture flourished mostly in Indonesia,
\nMalaysia and Singapore, laksa too is known in these countries
\nwhose indigenous communities have developed their own versions of
\nthis spicy and fragrant soup. It is also common practice in the
\nregion to lend a local name to the soup. Some of the more popular
\nversions are laksa Penang, laksa Singapore and laksa Betawi.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, Myanmar and Thailand also have similar dishes, but
\nthey prepare it differently. So do people in Malaysia. This is
\nwhy, even though they use the same spices and ingredients to make
\nlaksa, each state comes up with its own distinct flavor,\" said
\nDatin Amy Hamidon, the wife of Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia
\nDato' Hamidon Ali, during a briefing for the Laksas of Malaysia
\nFest culinary festival.<\/p>\n
The 9-day festival, which opens on Jan. 19 at the
\nIntercontinental Midplaza Jakarta's Java restaurant, features
\nnine varieties of Malaysian laksa: laksa Penang, laksa Kuala
\nPerlis, laksa Kedah, laksa Nyonya Melaka, laksa Pahang, laksa
\nJohor, curry laksa, laksa Sarawak and laksam from Kelantan. Three
\nkinds of laksa are featured each day and, to complete the
\nculinary experience, are accompanied by other popular dishes from
\nMalaysian states.<\/p>\n
The festival is jointly organized by the hotel and the
\nMalaysian tourism board, and its proceeds will go to two
\norphanages in Aceh caring for children who lost their families to
\nthe tsunami disaster.<\/p>\n
The event is also supported by Perwakilan Jakarta -- the
\nMalaysian Embassy Women's Association -- of which 30 members have
\nshared their family laksa recipes with the hotel's kitchen staff.<\/p>\n
Most laksa, Datin explained, were cooked in fish or prawn
\nshell broth. \"Once the broth is cool, the prawn shells are
\nusually squeezed to fully extract the flavor. Then the other
\nspices are added,\" she said.<\/p>\n
To serve the soup, noodles, vermicelli, chayote, bean sprouts,
\nthinly sliced pineapples, hard-boiled eggs and other condiments
\nare added to a bowl, over which the steaming hot laksa broth is
\nladled.<\/p>\n
Freshly squeezed lemon juice and chili sauce give the dish
\nextra zest.<\/p>\n
Despite its endless variety, laksa can be differentiated
\naccording to the broth.<\/p>\n
Tangy, tamarind-based laksa include laksas Penang, Kuala
\nPerlis and Kedah, while the remaining versions are based on
\ncoconut milk.<\/p>\n
Laksa Johor tastes similar to laksa Penang, both using oodles
\nof noodles and dried fish. But laksa Johor is unique because
\ninstead of using rice- or egg noodles, its noodle of choice is
\nspaghetti. It is thought that this European ingredient may have
\nfound its way into the Malay dish during the time of Sultan
\nJohor, who traveled extensively and kept European mistresses.<\/p>\n
Aside from Chinese and European influence, laksas in northern
\nMalaysia, like Kedah, Penang and Kuala Perlis, have more
\npronounced Thai flavors because of their abundant use of Thai
\nherbs.<\/p>\n
In Sarawak, the dish is flavored with only cinnamon and
\naniseed, while the ethnic Chinese in Kuala Lumpur and Perak
\ncreated curry laksa by mixing in a variety of spices, and a
\nstrong Chinese influence can be detected in Kelantan's laksam.<\/p>\n
\"Interestingly, laksa Nyonya Melaka (Malaysia) closely
\nresembles Indonesia's laksa Betawi. Both have a strong Chinese
\ninfluence in the spices and fish balls,\" said Datin.<\/p>\n
For the festival, several spices were brought in from
\nMalaysia, while others from markets in Jakarta. Still others,
\nlike daun kesum, were grown in the hotel's herb garden.<\/p>\n
Finding the ingredients can be quite a challenge, because even
\nthough the spices and herbs used in laksa are common throughout
\nthe region, they have different names. To ensure authenticity,
\nhowever, some key ingredients must be imported from Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\"We want to stick to the ingredients that have been used for
\nlaksa for generations,\" Datin said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp18town-1447899208",
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