Teck Teck Cafe 德德茶餐室

The Sarawak laksa paste is a guarded secret, made with over 20 herbs and spices, and there aren't many people who can make an authentic one these days. Some of the ingredients include sambal belacan (shrimp chili paste), tamarind, lemongrass and galangal.

The Internet is filled with varying recipes that are made from hearsay and tweaked by trial and error. No one really knows the true origins and recipe, or really, how it should taste. Contrary to popular belief and description, it really doesn't taste like curry. At least it's not supposed to.

The base of this dish is beehoon (rice vermicelli) and there are occasions where people request noodles instead. The laksa broth is made from dissolving the laksa paste and adding a wee bit of coconut milk. This dish is topped with shredded chicken, omelette strips, fresh prawn, bean sprouts, coriander, spring onion and served with sambal belacan and calamansi on the side.

For me, this bowl didn't need that extra sambal or calamansi. It had the ideal balance of salty, spicy (just slightly) and savory - just the perfect treat.