Nobody leaves Sarawak without first trying their famous Sarawak Laksa. Laksa, literally means "ten thousand", as it was believed that ten thousand different spices and condiments were used to cook this dish. Said to be a creation of ancient Chinese who migrated to Malaysia, one can find Laksa in almost every country in South East Asia now. Of course, each country and in fact, each state in Malaysia has its own variation of the Laksa and Sarawak is no different.
The Sarawak Laksa (and in fact, every variation of laksa) is a doctor’s nightmare. Essentially, the gravy for Sarawak Laksa is made of coconut milk mixed with blended combination of spices such as lemon grass, galangal, chilli paste, tamarind, candle nut and garlic. Many people find it pungent but a laksa stall is judged by how the cook cleverly combines the various spices for the right balance of spiciness and aroma.
Slightly different from the curry you find in Peninsula Malaysia, the Sarawak Laksa is thick and has more garnishing than noodle. The type of noodle used is usually the thicker bihun (rice vermicelli) and each bowl of Laksa comes top with sliced omelette, prawns and slices of chicken breast with a few decorative coriander leaves. Eat your Laksa with some lime juice and sambal belacan (fermented shrimp paste), which is usually served separately in a small dish. This is for added aroma and spiciness.
The Sarawak Laksa is essentially a coffee-shop dish. One doesn’t eat this kind of dishes at fancy restaurants but more at five foot ways or local coffee shops in the older part of town. However, I personally found Rajah Brooke Café’s Sarawak Laksa very delicious and commendable. Priced at RM 8.90, it’s definitely more expensive than most stalls (normal serving at any coffee shop probably set you back RM 3.50-RM 4.00), but it’s worth every extra sen. The serving is bigger than the normal portion and comes with a generous amount of prawns and chicken.
Rajah Brooke café is located at the Kuching Waterfront, just 20 steps away from the Sarawak Chinese Museum and 150m to the left of Crowne Plaza Hotel.
However, if you find that you prefer to eat where the locals do, try the stall at Ban Hock Road, near Continental Hotel. According to my friend, this is the spiciest Laksa stall in Kuching.