PIGGIN OUT: ASAM LAKSA @ AIR HITAM, PENANG

Ok... Penang and Asam Laksa are like your teeth and gums, finger and finger nails, ass and asshole… one will find it very hard to live without the other. Take away the gum and the teeth losses its support. Take away the finger and the nail is left floating mid-air which can be really cool or really scary. Take away the ass and the shit spurts out without direction. Take Asam Laksa away from Penang and Penang becomes a zombie land with nothing attractive.

As far as I know, there are 3 types of asam laksa here in Malaysia – Chinese Ha Ko (prawn paste) asam laksa, Malay asam laksa and Nyonya asam laksa. In Penang, the Chinese and the Malay types are readily available. Although we often gobble down the Chinese one (only because my wife is a big fan of the Chinese asam laksa and asam laksa means more to her than to me), there’s some really awesome, cheap Malay asam laksa sold by the side of the road going to Batu Feringghi where you get to put as much bunga kantan as you like.

The Air Hitam Asam Laksa has for years manage to stay as one of the best available asam laksa available in Penang. For years, the stall by the side of the market at Air Hitam has fended off stiff competition and remained as one of the best asam laksa stall and once of the cheapest one as well at RM3.30 per bowl. Of course there’s also another good asam laksa located at Balik Pulau, but unless you’re ready to drive to this god-forsaken land, get lost a couple of times finding the place, and probably not finding the place still at the end of the day – all the best.

One cannot miss the shop which is located at the intersection of the market in Air Hitam on the way to Kek-Lok-Si Temple. The shop is operated by a family where child labor becomes a very borderline issue.

The size of the pots would tell you the amount of orders they receive in a day. 2 huge pots of boiling soup, 1 extra large pot where they put the noodle and due to lack of space, the vege is placed on the table.

The main ingredient that makes all the difference is of course the soup. The soup here is superb with enough sourness and taste as there are lots of chunky pieces of fish that’s in the soup and enough asam pieces. Although it can be slightly spicier than I like it to be, the asam laksa here is still my favorite. Writing about it now is already causing me to salivate.

Location:

Jalan Pasar,

11500 Air Hitam,

Penang.

GPS: N5.401360, E100.278077