Assam Laksa - World's Best Dish at Number 7

CNN voted Assam Laksa as the top number 7 of the World's 50 most delicious foods.  Wow.  This noodle with fish broth is really an excellent try on the senses.  It has an aroma, texture and taste to behold!  As CNN says:

Poached, flaked mackerel, tamarind, chili, mint, lemongrass, onion, pineapple … one of Malaysia’s most popular dishes is an addictive spicy-sour fish broth with noodles (especially great when fused with ginger), that’ll have your nose running before the spoon even hits your lips.

You can find this quote by CNN (21st July 2011) at: World's 50 most delicious foods.

This dish is native to Penang.  For a detailed walk through on the recipe, go by rasa malaysia at this link for more pictures and information Assam Laksa recipe. 

This video by LooseAppetiteMovement shows an example of a serving of  assam laksa by one of the many assam laksa stalls in Penang.  Bon appetite!

Updated 10th Sep 2011:  CNN did a new poll on 7th Sep 2011, and that changed the rankings of this 21st July 2011 survey.  Assam Laksa is now at number 26.

Penang - A Victorian Legacy

The Europeans came to Asia looking for riches from spices and trade.  The British created free ports such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Penang to get a share of the money of the Chinese traders.  The first of these free ports was Penang, established in 1786.

Armenians, Danes, Germans, Jews, British, Punjabis, Tamils, Malayalees, Bengalis, Arabs, Straits Chinese, Chinese, Siamese, Burmese, Achehnese, Javanese and Malays flocked to this beautiful island and were richly rewarded for their toils and enterprise.

The umbrella of the British Empire ensured that property was protected by law and the thriving community build institutions and shared their food and cultures.  We can see the cemetaries, houses of worship, clan houses, beautiful parks and beaches and taste the mouth watering mix of food and drink that uniquely defines Penang.  This unique melting pot has resulted in the capital city, Georgetown, to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, a joint listing with its sister heritage city, Malacca. It should be noted that Penang's special home grown dish 'Assam Laksa'  made it to the top 10 (at number 7) of CNN's World's 50 most delicious food.

This video by Alfred and Jasmin Grech from their holiday in Penang sums it all.  Its a colorful montage of the various spots to see and things to do in this cosmopolitan creation of the British Empire.