A friend invited me to have lunch with her today at Famous 49 Katong Laksa to try this café’s version of laksa, a coconut curry noodle soup found throughout Asia. I hopped in a cab to East Coast Road, not served by the subway, and chatted with my Indian driver, quizzing him on the origins of this favorite dish. I was surprised when he told me that it was Paranakan.
Peranakan (pronounced “Per-AN-uh-ken”) refers to descendants of early Chinese settlers, who traveled to Singapore and parts of the Malay Peninsula, especially Malacca and Penang, where they intermarried with local Malays. The resulting cuisine is a wonderful blend of Chinese and Malay cooking. Laksa, a soup I had discovered years ago while living in Hong Kong, must certainly be the most well-known of Paranakan dishes, and I looked forward to trying it in the place where it all started.
I passed several other laksa cafes before arriving at the old shophouse, where Famous 49 was located. My friend, Kenwyn, had beat me there and apologized for the bowl of noodles already sitting in front of her. “I had a miscommunication that resulted in my being served before you arrived,” she explained. We laughed as a young woman approached me and said, haltingly, “One?” I responded affirmatively and moments later had a bowl of steaming hot soup before me. When the waitress did not immediately step away, I realized she was waiting to be paid. “Four dollar!” she announced, and I reached into my wallet to find the requisite change.
The smell of curry enveloped my senses as I looked down at the porcelain spoon full of chili paste and chopped laksa leaves, which sat poised on the surface of this thick, creamy stew. Tofu, shrimp, and pork revealed themselves as I stirred in the spice and breathed in the aroma. As with all laksa, the noodles were cut into bite-sized pieces negating the need for chop sticks. I dipped my spoon and sampled this wonderful Singapore tradition. Delicious!
Address: Famous 49 Katong Laksa, 49 East Coast Road, Singapore
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Read about other food adventures on at Wanderfood Wednesday.