Laksa Terengganu Kuah Putih – Famous Malaysian Cuisine
Do you enjoy a good laksa? Then travel to the coastal town of Terengganu in North-Eastern Malaysia, where the unique local laksa comes in two colours: red and white!
Unlike other Malaysian laksas, Laksa Terengganu Kuah Merah is a noodle dish with gravy-like sauce rather than a broth. “Kuah merah” means “red gravy.” Like its white cousin, Laksa Terengganu Kuah Putih, its core ingredients are coconut and fish.
Purists make the kuah merah from freshly grated and pounded coconut flesh and coconut milk. The fish element is equally labour intensive, by cooking fresh Spanish mackerel (tenggiri) or chub mackerel (ikan kembung), then boning it for the meat. Coconut and fish are cooked with fresh herbs like wild pepper leaf, dried toasted spices ground to a powder, tamarind (assam) peel, chilli paste, shrimp paste (balacan), palm sugar, sea salt and water. Some cooks add salted fish or dried, powdered fish for extra intensity. More coconut milk can be added for a thinner consistency.
It can be served on either thick or thin rice noodles, depending on preference – thick noodles absorb more gravy. It can be garnished with bean sprouts, fried onions, chopped spring onions, julienned cucumber and chopped hard-boiled eggs. The fish-rich gravy is sometimes supplemented with extra protein, such as prawns, cuttlefish, fishcakes, and salted duck egg yolks. A squeeze of lime juice will give it extra zing!
Laksa Terengganu kuah merah was once considered a special occasion dish, but it can now be found in regional restaurants and specialist food stalls. Local chefs take pride in serving such a distinctive Terengganu dish to visitors.
Shop name:
Laksa Beseng Cik Ros
Kampung Kesom, Manir
Terengganu
019-9697744
Famous Malaysian cuisine is a 50-video series produced by Masters of Malaysian cuisine(MOMC) in partnership with Tourism Malaysia.
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