MY COMFORT FOOD : LAKSA

As much as I love food, I rarely write about it. I love taking pictures of food but so far, only a few of them have appeared in this blog. I love food. I enjoy going out to places where the food served is good. I get excited when the food is garnished to tantalise my taste buds. It does not really matter to me where the food is sold. It can be a restaurant, a bistro, a cafe or even a roadside stall. As long as the food is good and halal, the price is reasonable, the location is not too far away, I will try that place out. If I like the food, I will most probably go back again and again. There are many types of food that I consider as my comfort food. One of them is laksa and I can be quite particular with the laksa that I eat. There are many types of laksa and I'm quite partial to the the one that has that balanced sour and hot taste. A few months ago, my Mum and I with two of my friends CoCo and Aiza, ended up in Kuala Kangsar which is famous for its own version of laksa. We were driving around when we saw this 'laksa' stall by the roadside. Without thinking twice, we stopped there to try the 'laksa'. We were not disappointed. The laksa was simple, original and delicious. I'm not particularly fond of laksa that is laden with new 'condiments' which are usually not found in the traditional laksa. Somehow, I find the authentic taste and flavour of of the laksa is compromised when the focus is more on the condiments rather than on the laksa itself. There are many types of noodles for the laksa and they can be quite different in taste, texture, length and colour. I have always preferred the soft and shiny ones and not the slightly hard and easily broken ones. I don't even like the dry ones which have to be blanched or soaked in water unless there is no other choice. To me, a good laksa should be simple. Just the noodles, gravy (which should not be watery), half a boiled egg, shreds of lettuce, slices of pineapples, cucumber and chillies and not to forget, 'otak udang' if possible. That will be enough. No fishballs, no chicken and no fried eggs. Not even unnecessary garnishing. If the laksa is really good, I can even finish two bowls at one seating. There certain types of food which, to me, should stay the way they are. That is why I am quite hesitant to try out new dishes which have been augmented just for the heck of it. One good example is pizza. I don't understand why there should be curry-flavoured pizza or 'tom yam' flavoured pizza or even pizza with 'rendang' toppings. It just doesn't make sense to me. I am definitely not against improvisation or fusion dishes but sometimes, it's better to leave certain food the way it is.