Penang Air Itam Laksa

The Air Itam suburb is where you can find much of Penang Island’s most famous attractions like Penang Hill, and I think that it’s only fair to give the famous street food hawker stall, Penang Air Itam Laksa, the title of a “famous attraction”. Penang Air Itam Laksa is where you can find arguably the best Assam Laksa in all of Penang. Laksa is of course, a noodle soup dish with thick chewy rice noodles, the Assam version is where the broth is made with tamarind and a blend of mashed mackerel fish and aromatic herbs like lemongrass, galangal, and chilis.

One must-try food in Penang that visitors should definitely not miss is Asam Laksa. Ranked #7 on CNN’s the world’s 50 best foods, Asam Laksa is a highly-addictive spicy-sour fish broth, served with thick, white noodles. This local Penang street food dish get its tangy and fishy flavour from stewing poached shredded mackerel with tamarind juice, and added with prawn paste for sourness, as well as an assortment of herbs and spices, including chili, mint, lemongrass, pineapples, onions, bunga kantan and cucumbers, for a slightly sweet aftertaste.

Penang Air Itam Laksa, George Town 📍Jalan Pasar, Paya Terubong, 11500 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia ❣️This humble stall dishes out bowls filled with bold and complex flavors that capture the essence of Penang. The thick rice noodles, generously covered with shredded mackerel fish and a myriad of fresh ingredients, sit in a broth that is a harmonious blend of spicy, sour, and sweet. The signature 'hae ko' (thick sweet prawn paste) elevates the dish, making each spoonful a memorable explosion of flavors.

Laksa can be found throughout Malaysia, but this particular variety has become synonymous with Penang, where it is prepared in a specific way. It is a noodle dish, but unusually for the cuisine of the island, it is swimming in a fish broth made from stewed mackerel, lemongrass, chillies and tamarind, to give it a rich flavour. Added to this are the thick rice noodles, with everything from ginger flower, onion, cucumber, lettuce and mint leaves use to add extra depth.

While visiting Singapore and Malaysia, you will start hearing the term “Peranakan” being used in the context of cultural matters. Peranakan are descendants of Chinese immigrants who had settled in the area that is now known as Malaysia and Singapore between the 15th to 17th centuries. These Chinese immigrants brought with them their own culture and it has fused with local culture over time, creating a unique blend now referred to as Peranakan.

If you could distil Penang into a single dish, it would probably be assam laksa. The evolution of this pungent curry is linked to the island’s heritage and the influx of immigrants that resulted in an interweaving of Chinese and Malay flavours. The spicy-sour broth is made with copious amounts of tamarind peel, which gives it both its muddy colour and name ( assam means tamarind in Malay).

Asam laksa is a sour, tangy and spicy fish based soup which is packed full of flavour. It is a thick hot broth made from assam (tamarind), lemongrass, chillies and shrimp paste, served with flaked poached Mackerel and thick white or vermicelli noodles, garnished with shallots, chillies, ginger flower and mint leaves. YOU MIGHT LIKE – The perfect 2 week Malaysia itinerary and travel guide

Pasar Air Itam Laksa stall is another iconic staple of Air Itam, serving Assam Laksa, the sour version of the curry laksa. It is made with mackerel tamarind soup topped with rice noodles, flaked mackerel, shrimp paste and fresh herbs and lettuce. What sets assam laksa apart is the lack of coconut milk in the broth, unlike curry laksa in Kuala Lumpur or Katong laksa in Singapore.

Assam Laksa is the next must-try dish, after Char Kway Teow. What’s served is thick rice noodles drenched in a delicious hot bowl of intense flavours and texture – sour from the tamarind, spicy from the chilli, sweet from the sweet prawn paste, bitter from the herbs, and umami from the mackerel meat. Penang Road Famous Laksa is one of the popular Laksa stalls in Georgetown.

Arguably one of the most famous laksa, and having spent a few decades in Joo Hooi Café, Penang Road Famous Laksa moved to their new location at Lebuh Keng Kwee in 2016. Penang Road Famous Laksa stands out from other stalls because of their fish broth!. Instead of using mackerel, their fish broth is prepared daily using sardine and big-eye kingfish.

Like char koay teow, asam laksa is considered one of the best dishes to eat in Penang. It’s a tamarind-based laksa so it’s more sour compared to the coconut-based curry laksas that are popular in Singapore. Interestingly, curry laksa is a common food in Penang as well, but it’s referred to as curry mee to distinguish it from asam laksa.

After walking around Kek Lok Si, we were ready to eat again. Since we had already tried Sister’s Curry Mee in the morning, this time we walked straight to Air Itam Asam Laksa, one of Penang’s most famous street food stalls to eat asam laksa. Again, I’ll post a full blog about this laksa restaurant, but here’s a quick overview.

Praised by Anthony Bourdain and not a fail like the rest we tried; this famous hawker stall is worth taking transit too in order to try the notorious soup Penang has been put on the map for. Personally, the sardine was a little too overpowering for our liking and more on the sour side but still good regardless.

After trying the extra long fried dough fritters at Te Chang You Tiao Wang, we headed back to the Air Itam Market area for a bowl of assam laksa at the popular Air Itam Laksa place. Both the locals and tourists love their assam laksa because they have been serving up authentic Penang laksa since 1955.

The Penang Assam Laksa is one of my favourite dishes in George Town but locals often expect foreigners to find is strange. It’s true, it has a strange mix of sweet and sour that could be an ‘acquired taste’. The sour taste comes from the tamarind and the soup is usually made with mackerel.

If you’re looking for something uniquely Penang, Assam Laksa is the dish for you. This sour and spicy fish-based noodle soup is filled with tamarind, mackerel, fresh herbs, and pineapple. Air Itam Assam Laksa, near Kek Lok Si Temple, is considered one of the best places to try this dish.

Did you know that Penang’s asam laksa was ranked seventh in CNN Travel’s The World’s 50 Best Foods list?. After all, that sweet-sour mackerel broth that’s thick and vibrant in colour is simply too hard to resist. And where better to have this dish than at Penang Air Itam Laksa?

Shaking off possible heartburn, I head to my next and final stop, Penang Air Itam Laksa, the magnum opus of Penang hawker food. Posters announce that the renowned Penang Air Itam Laksa, another family-run business, has served “the one and the only one” laksa since 1955.

Pasar (Market) Air Itam is outside Georgetown but not in some secluded places. Travellers going to Kek Lok Si Temple (极乐寺) and/or Penang Hill will very likely end up trying the food here. It is at the foot of the hill where Kek Lok Si Temple stood.

Here’s the other place most people visiting Air Itam will make a stop at. On the way to Kek Lok Si you’d have passed the stall actually, so you can either have it on the way up, or after Kek Lok Si. It was a perfect blend of flavors and textures.

Assam Laksa, or Asam Laksa, is one of the most popular dishes in Malaysian cuisine. There are many different versions, each with its own intricacies. The Penang Asam Laksa is world-famous, taking the 7th spot on CNN World’s 50 Best Food list.

Assam laksa is not the coconutty dish from Singapore that we know in Australia; discover this sour, tangy version laced with sardines and springy rice noodles at Air Itam Laksa, tucked in the street-side markets at the base of Penang Hill.

The soup is thick, flavourful and spicy, with a good texture from the shredded fish. I love how the pungent-sweet shrimp paste adds “oomph” to the asam laksa. The best way to have it is with less noodles, extra vegetables.

For another phenomenal dish, you must try Penang assam laksa. It has thick rice noodles in a tangy fish broth with tamarind, lemongrass, and other spices. Inside is shredded fish, cucumber, pineapple, onion, and chilli.

Penang Laksa If have any energy left after such an action-packed day, head to Mish Mash, Three Sixty Revolving Restaurant and Rooftop Bar (cocktails with views) or back to China House for live music.

A signature dish in Penang, Assam Laksa is a tangy, spicy, and sour fish-based noodle soup. Made with mackerel fish, tamarind, lemongrass, and chili, this dish is incredibly flavorful and refreshing.

A spicy and tangy noodle soup made with tamarind, mackerel fish broth, lemongrass, and chili. A must-try dish in Penang!. 📍 Where to Try: Air Itam Laksa, Penang Road Famous Laksa

There is a long stretch of tables with chairs just next to the food stall. Simply find a table and seats for your party. Look out for one of the staff, and place your orders.

Below was a review on Pasar Air Itam Laksa Penang Assam Laksa… CNN Travel ranked this 7th out of the 50 most delicious foods in the world.