Laksa is a spicy noodle soup dish, popular in Southeast Asia consisting of various types of noodles in a spicy broth (with or without coconut milk) and served with toppings of chicken and/or seafood.
Although there are several variations of laksa based on different regions, outside of Southeast Asia, the most commonly known laksa is the “curry laksa” which originates from Singapore/Malaysia. We are fortunate in Auckland to have several restaurants that serve this authentic dish.
To determine the best curry laksa among some of my favourite joints, I conducted this test:
Method My three favourite laksa are from these Malaysian restaurants – Selera, Petaling Malaysian Restaurant and Treasure Kitchen Greenlane. The seafood curry laksas were ordered and collected from the said restaurants and brought back to my residence.
The soups were kept warm in separate (labelled) pots while I re-plated the noodles and ingredients into bowls. The bowls were labelled X, Y and Z so participants did not know where which laksa came from.
Four participant tasters of Malaysian and Singaporean origin were selected, and each was served 3 different bowls of laksa.
A scoring card was given to each participant to fill. They were to rate the laksas based on soup flavours/texture, noodle texture, spice levels and ingredients. A total score of 5 was allocated to each section.
Results
The following table reports the results from the blind-taste test:
Discussion It was revealed that Laksa X was from Treasure Kitchen Greenlane, Laksa Y from Petaling Malaysian Restaurant and Laksa Z from Selera.
All participants agreed that the laksa soup from Selera was the stand out. We extrapolate it is because the sambal was premixed into the soup.
For Petaling and Treasure Kitchen, the sambal was given separately. Some partipants added it to their soups and others forgot. So this may have affected the scoring of the soup flavours for these laksas.
However, everyone has different tolerance to sambal, so it warrants Petaling and Treasure Kitchen’s decision to serve it separate from the soup.
Noodle texture was pretty standard across the board and we extrapolate that the noodle supplier is probably the same. The only difference was that Treasure Kitchen and Petaling served their laksa with a mixture of yellow mee (egg noodles) and beehoon (vermicelli) and Selera only served it with yellow mee. This again varies with different regions and individual preferences.
In terms of spice levels, Treasure Kitchen’s was the spiciest and Selera’s was the mildest. Treasure Kitchen’s prawns were noticeable the biggest among the three laksas.
Nevertheless, they all scored equally in terms of ingredients.
Also note that the participant tasters seemed to err on the more critical side of scoring. I thought the results were quite harsh– none of these laksas made it to 4!
Conclusion Selera’s seafood curry laksa scored the highest (3.94/5) out of the three laksas served, vindicating its selection as one of Auckland’s 100 Iconic Eats 2024.
Limitations We all know that meals are best eaten at the place it is prepared in. There would be a degree of “degradation“ when the meal is taken away. The plating and presentation of the dish also affects perception and taste, and my replating would have affected this significantly.
There are also different individual interpretations on whether spicier is better or worse. Retrospectively it seems unfair to include spice levels in the overall scoring as this does not affect the quality of the soup.
The sample size as well as participant numbers were too small to extrapolate clinical significance from the results. Taste is highly variable among different individuals, and it is unfair to judge the “best” laksa based on n=4. At the end of the day, this all comes down to personal preference.
Nevertheless, it was a fun exercise to do on a Sunday evening!
Sophia grew up in Malaysia, surrounded by late-night market suppers, sneaky treats from relatives, and celebratory feasts. From a young age, food meant love, joy, and excitement to her. Now living here, she finds comfort in Southeast Asian cuisine and plans her trips around discovering new dishes, embracing her philosophy of "living to eat."
