Besides their made-from-scratch laksa paste and secret sambal topping, the crispy dumplings also stood out. They were a unique addition I’d never encountered before in other laksas, but worked well in the dish, retaining their crunch even after a ten-minute soak in the laksa gravy.
“That one we created ourselves! It’s not mass-produced from a factory. We freshly make every day without fail,” Eng said. Essentially a dumpling wrapper filled with a seasoned pork and fish paste mixture, her experiment turned out to be a success and the deep fried, stuffed triangles have become permanent additions to both the laksa and bak chor mee.
The bouncy fishcake was good too, boasting a frilly, golden-brown edge because according to Eng, “I get high quality, handmade fishcake from my supplier. Every morning, I fry it again.” Twice-frying accounted for its crinkly-crisp, chewy texture.
Like it or leave it, fresh cockles were also a must for this see hum lover – Ms Eng was generous with her portion – I counted at least a dozen topping my bowl. After a quick dunk in the hot broth to semi-cook them, the fat little bivalves burst with briny juices that mingled deliciously with the coconutty laksa gravy. Much of said gravy was also absorbed and dispensed in a delightfully explosive way by the taupok.