Easy Penang Assam Laksa

I'm so excited to try out this Penang assam laksa which I never done before :) When my sister and parents planned to pop over my place for dinner, I can't wait for them to test out this dish hahaha my guinea pigs....As the recipe title Easy Penang Assam Laksa...it is really easy! As I do not have tamarind paste, I've use tamarind pulp dissolved in water to replace with it. Verdict : Not too bad for 1st attempt, can be better though hehehe but is spicy & SOUR enough as commented by my father :D

Recipe ref : WendyinKK
with some modifications
Ingredient

• 2 cans (425gm) canned sardines,  discard the gravy 
• 2 torch ginger buds (bunga kantan)
• 2 thick lemon grass, 3 if they’re thin  (use 4 inches from the base, discard the rest)
• 1 large onion, peeled
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled 
• Few sprigs of daun kesum, laksa leaves
• 25-30gm chilli powder 
• 15gm belcacan powder
• 200gm Tamarind paste (I used tamarind pulp* dissolved in 1 cup water)
• 2 Ikan bilis cubes
• 1 heaped tbsp salt
• ¼ cup sugar 
• water : 2L + 2 cups + 1 cup 
• 1 cup tamarind liquid*, adjust amount +/- according to taste

Garnish : julienned cucumbers, sliced onion, mint & red chilli

Method

1. Place 2L water in a medium pot(5L capacity) and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, slice torch ginger, lemon grass , onion and garlic. Place these in a blender. Put in 2 cups of water and puree till fine. Pour into the pot.
3. Remove 1 can sardines from tomato sauce and place in blender (no need to wash after ‘2’) and put in 1 cup of water and pulse few times. Pour into pot.
4. Throw in whole sprigs of daun kesum (remove bases of course), tamarind liquid, chilli powder, belacan powder and ikan bilis cubes into the pot. Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. 
5. Add in the other canned sardines, roughly chopped. Put in salt, and sugar. Taste. It should be slightly oversalted, mildly sweet and have a prominent sour taste. Adjust to ur own preference.

Serve :

1. Prepare 200gm noodles for each person. Lightly blanch in boiling water. Strain noodles well and place in bowl. Ladle soup over noodles. Top with julienned cucumbers, onions, mint and red chilli. 

 I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest, Penang Month hosted by Alan of Travellingfoodies