Restaurant Review on Ah Cheng Laksa @ One City

Figure 1: The green area in the map is One City, located in USJ25/1A. Ah Cheng Laksa’s stall is located inside this mall at level 1A.

Address:
NO. A – 1A – KO2, KO3
1A FLOOR, ONE CITY
JALAN USJ 25/1A
47640 SUBANG JAYA
SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN

Contact details:
Fax: 03-80237147
Tel: 012-3046200 (Celine)
Email: info@ahchenglaksa.com.my
Website: http://www.ahchenglaksa.com.my/index.php
Facebook: Ah Cheng Laksa 

Opening hours:
10.30AM – 9.30PM
(Monday to Sunday including public holidays)

Figure 2: Ah Cheng Laksa branch at One City Mall

Authenticity of Ah Cheng Laksa

Ah Cheng Laksa specialises in asam laksa among a variety of other popular Malaysian dishes including curry laksa, pan mee and nasi lemak ayam rendang. Asam laksa can be described as a sour, fish-based rice noodles soup. Asam is the malay word for sour, which uses tamarind to stock the sour flavour. Asam keping aka tamarind peels is added to enhance the sourness. Meanwhile, laksa refers to a Malaysian dish of Chinese origin, consisting of rice noodles served in a curry sauce or hot soup. In fact, laksa is derived from the Hindi word ‘lakhs’, which means ten thousand. It is unsure the reason for the name is due to the multitude of ingredients used or the thousands of strands of noodles made from rice floor that gave laksa its name.

Ah Cheng Laksa’s origins can be traced back to 1960 in a small town in Alor Star, Kedah. It all began when a coupon started peddling asam laksa to help make ends meet. The popularity of the dish became well-known for its unique flavour and special aroma. The soup has a thinner consistency compared to their peers from Penang and is added slices of egg. One of their children, Ah Cheng, took over the business and she operates from the family courtyard at Simpang Empat. Eventually, one family member saw the potential in the asam laksa and opened up a food chain of Ah Cheng Laksa in Klang Valley. The first branch was opened in 2004 and currently, there are about 17 outlets established.

Figure 3: 1960s: Selling asam laksa by peddling

As for the authenticity of Ah Cheng’s Kedah laksa, they particularly focus on originality. The ingredients are carefully sourced from North Malaysia to maintain consistency and good quality all time. The recipe, process, and technique have maintained the same throughout with only extra integration of modern cooking appliances.

The asam laksa was sold in a warung, which in this context refers to the type of modest small family-owned café. Thus, Ah Cheng Laksa incorporated the design of their kiosk with a traditional relaxing village style warung for added local atmosphere. It is an infusion of traditional and modern architectural design whilst maintaining the originality of village feel and look. Customers are able to see how the food is prepared.

Figure 4: 1960s: The original warung that sold Kedah laksa for only RM 2.70

Kedah laksa is almost the same as Penang laksa and the only difference is in the garnishing used. For Kedah laksa, sliced boiled eggs are usually added to the dish and rice flour is used to make the laksa noodle.  In Penang, they use the thicker rice vermicelli for their asam laksa. Besides that, Penang laksa has pineapples added into the dish.

Figure 5: Penang asam laksa (Chinese version) shows pineapple slices are included as garnish as well as a spoon of prawn paste

In 2011, asam laksa is ranked number seven on ‘World’s 50 Most Delicious Food’.

Ah Cheng Laksa’s asam laksa includes shredded sardine fish, lemongrass, asam keping  (tamarind peels), tamarind, and finely sliced vegetables including onions, cucumber, red chillies, lettuce, common mint, Vietnamese mint (laksa mint) and pink bunga kantan (torch ginger buds). In Penang, asam laksa is usually topped off with a thick sweet prawn paste while it is optional for Kedah laksa. It is to be noted that there are two types of asam laksa in Penang; the thicker gravy is what the Malays prefer while the Chinese version uses more prawn paste and the gravy is not as thick. There are extra limes provided for those fancy a more sourish soup. Sambal is also available for those who like it. It is noted in Ah Cheng Laksa’s asam laksa there is no egg provided as per standard for Kedah laksa. This is because some people are allergic to egg and Ah Cheng Laksa strives to serve everyone. Accurately described, their laksa soup has a thin texture unlike Penang asam laksa as the garnishes are blended and topped on top of the dish. It is neither that spicy nor sour. Besides the normal-sized serving priced at RM7.90, Ah Cheng Laksa has junior size for kids or those that only wants to eat a smaller portion at RM5.50. Set meals is only RM9.90 and comes with a choice of drink.

Figure 6: Ah Cheng Laksa's Kedah Laksa

Figure 7: Size comparison: Regular asam laksa vs Junior asam laksa 

On the other hand, we also got to try another Malaysian food by Ah Cheng Laksa, which is curry laksa or also known as curry mee in order not to be confused with asam laksa. Curry is described as an Indian-style sauce of strong spices and turmeric. The texture of the soup is thick and it is slightly spicy. The ingredients included in the curry mee are taufu pok (bean curd puff), siham (blood clams), long bean, chicken meat, fish cake, chilis, bean sprout and served with yellow mee.

Figure 8: Ah Cheng Laksa's Curry Mee

As for the utensils, Ah Cheng Laksa uses disposable chopsticks, plastic spoons and sauce plate.

Figure 9: Self-service: Take your own disposable utensils as well as limes and sambal

The food is prepared in front of us by cooking the noodles, adding the soup and garnishes on top. It is a self-service restaurant thus customers have to order at the counter and collect it when it is done.

Figure 10: Ah Cheng Laksa modern warung design at One City Mall

Figure 11: Ah Cheng Laksa staff preparing the dish

The traditional way of preparation is maintained, only modern equipment is integrated with cooking. The traditional method is time consuming and in the modern society, time is valued. Ah Cheng Laksa has sort off become a type of fast food restaurant.

Figure 12: The interior of the warung where the food is prepared.

Validity of cultural information posted

Asam laksa is the result of the Peranakan community. During the 15^th century, Fujianese traders took local Malays whom were non-muslim as wives as Chinese women were not allowed to leave China due to an Imperial Decree. Chinese traders came to the Malay Peninsula before the advent of colonialism. After much trades with the local malays, the Chinese ultimately absorbed much of the local way of life into their culture. Over time, the Peranakan community gradually absorbed new arrivals from China. The first settlement of Chinese traders was in Malacca. With the advent of colonialism, Peranakan migrated to other areas of the country such as Penang, Kedah and even to Singapore.

Male descendants are called “Baba” and females are called “Nyonya”. The term Baba actually evolved from the Indonesian term “Bapak” meaning “Sir”. Similarly, the term Nyonya is also of Indonesian origin and means “Lady”. The word Peranakan is derived from the word anak, which translates to child. Thus, it gives meaning that the children of intermarriages were called Peranakan. It is only exclusively used by the Chinese Peranakan community as they comprised the majority among all other Peranakan groups. Nyonya dishes incorporate Chinese and Malay ingredients as well as cooking style to create Nyonya cuisine.

On the asam laksa theme, each state in Malaysia has their version of asam laksa. Famously known and adored by fellow Malaysian as well as foreigners, asam laksa is usually associated with Penang asam laksa. The thicker soup gravy is what Malaysians prefer. Besides Penang style, the Peranakan culture has slightly different variants in Kedah. For Laksa Kedah, it is less sour and the fish flakes in the gravy are usually blended. Although Kedah is closer to Thailand than Penang in Northern Malaysia, Nyonya Food in Penang has a preference for tangy or sour food. Their asam laksa is considerably sourer than Kedah asam laksa.

Figure 13: Illustration of original Kedah asam laksa

It is speculated that Kedah asam laksa is the most nutritious among others as the vegetables are taken raw, thus maintaining the nutrients. Moreover, the gravy uses plenty of fishes and fishes are high in protein. The gravy is boiled without the use of oil and coconut.

Analysis of its role as Malaysian Food Heritage

Hands down, Ah Cheng laksa is part of the Malaysian Food Heritage including their specialty, Kedah asam laksa. According to history, Chinese traders migrated and wed local Malay brides and gave rise to the first generation of mixed Chinese-Malays known as Peranakan. They then married within their own community and establish a strong hybrid culture proud of its heritage in Malaysia. In a simple manner, Peranakan community is formed due to the union of two different cultures and created a fusion food style of Malay and Chinese.

According to a geographical point of view, the Chinese may came from a foreign country, but Nyonya food is created because of marriage between two different cultures. Therefore, Nyonya food is certainly a Malaysian Food Heritage. Even when a fellow Malaysian is asked about what is the local food in Malaysia, surely one the answer will be asam laksa.