I am constantly in search for authentic Penang laksa. My friend, who is of Penang origin, and I share notes on which stall sells the best Penang laksa. We started with the food court in China Square. The boss eventually moved to Boon Lay and then to the USA to sell laksa. Then we found one at Joo Chiat, which by far was the most authentic (although the price was a bit steep), but has since folded. We also found one stall at the Aljunied Ave 2 hawker centre, which was a bit salty to our liking, but fairly authentic, other than the "noodle" itself.
However, when I went to taste it again yesterday, somehow it was not the same anymore.
You see, authentic Penang laksa has several "characteristics" - the fish stock must be made with "ikan kembong" (or "ikan batu" as it is called in Singapore), with the fish carefully scrapped so that every spoonful of soup you taste is full of (melted with) minced fish meat. It should come with thick "white noodle" ie the laksa noodle (but can't find it in Singapore). It should come with generous shredded vegetables, pineapple, onions, and most importantly mint leaves.
The laksa I tasted yesterday had chucks of fish in the soup. This means you taste the soup and the fish separately. The vegetables came in, not shredded, but large pieces. And there were two mint leaves.
I think it is difficult to maintain one's tradition and culture when you move to a new place where the environment lacks certain things to help you upkeep your tradition. What we, the immigrants, always do is to assimilate into the new environment - from the way we speak, the things we eat, our mentality, our expectations... so that we can be accepted into the newfound land. If we so decided to stay true to our traditions, then we run the risk of being isolated, or segregated.
Food is like this. Our custom is like this. Can't find the same noodle. So we make do with whatever we have. Don't have time to scrap fish anymore. So we make do with big chucks of fish. To adapt to the locals' taste bud, we make slight changes - a bit sweeter, a bit less sour.
But it is not the same anymore.
Maybe I should open my own stall and sell the authentic Penang laksa. But then again, if I insist on the real thing, maybe my business will go bust very soon.
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2 comments:
Ummm. Just the thought of it makes my mouth water. My mum makes a mean Penang laksa. Real authentic one but she is too old to make it nowadays. Yes, you will never find a real good Penang laksa in Singapore. Not even those at hotels that tout real Penang Hawker fare. The food is "tweaked" for local taste. Got to make money you see? No use if it is authentic, but nobody will eat it right?
There is no way I can find ikan kembong in the middle of USA. For all this years, i have been making my own laksa with tuna fish that came in can. I think they taste almost as authentic as the laksa back home.
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