Penang Assam Laksa

If you don't live in Portland, you're probably unfamiliar with the concept of paying $1.49 for a single lime at Zupan's.

Let's start this here. I fucking Hate Zupan's. Really. Alot. Zupan is so expensive that it makes Whole Foods look like, well, H Mart. But more on that in a minute.

There used to be two reasons to go to the Belmont Zupan's.

Reason one was, and is, the clerk with the perfect Jim Jarmusch hair. He is probably 27 years old. Or 46. I can't tell. His hair is awesome.

Reason two was the delicious sandwiches which now all of a sudden suck. I'd tell you about this, but this post isn't about sandwiches. It's about sardines, H Mart, Laksa, Sambal Belacan, and how I'm never going to Zupan's again, since they want a buck-and-a-half for a lime.

I know that I've said it before, but I'm not going to fucking Zupan's anymore.


I have, however, lately been going to H Mart and it is now my super awesomest store maybe of all time. This Korean chain is spread out all over the humping place. Except where you'd want to it be. Sure, there's one in Houston, and one in Upper Darby, PA, and one in Irvine. But the rest are all in really shitty places, like Tigard.

It's like a really nice Safeway, where 96% of the products on the shelves have no English writing on them and/or, are packed with MSG.

Sweet.

That's where I picked up this This Laksa Assam base last week.

I was just sorta checking out the ingredients and noticed that the recipe on the back called for the addition of sardines.

POW! A Dinner is born.


If you've never made laksa before, don't. It's hard as shit. I put too much sambal in mine and damn near melted my face off. Also, the house will reek for three days after. The first day is okay, but it gets tiresome if you want to eat ice cream and the whole crib smells like burnt shrimp.


If you do try it, boil the egg for exactly 6 minutes, drop it in ice-water for 1 minute, crack the shell on the counter, and then back into the ice until it's ready to go in the bowl. This is key.

And use good quality sardines. This should go without saying.