Facts About Katong Laksa
Katong Laksa is a variant of laksa lemak inspired by the Straits Chinese who live in the precinct of Katong in Singapore. It has a spicy soup stock the colour of a flaming sunset, flavoured with coconut milk and dried shrimp, and topped with ingredients like cockles, prawns and fishcake. The noodles are normally cut up into smaller pieces so that the entire dish can be eaten with a spoon alone, without chopsticks or a fork.
Origin
The term "laksa" may derive from the Chinese word 辣沙 (Cantonese), meaning "spicy sand" due to the ground dried prawns which gives a sandy or gritty texture to the sauce. The name "Katong" was used to refer to an exotic species of sea turtle that has since gone extinct. It can also mean the rippling effect of a sea mirage when looking at a shoreline. Katong is a residential precinct located in the estate of Marine Parade in central Singapore. Katong Laksa was so named due to its origins in the area.
The dish was first popularised by brothers Ng Juat Swee and Ng Chwee Seng, who started selling the noodles in a coffee shop in East Coast Road in 1963. Four rivals had popped up along the same stretch of East Coast Road by 1999, and many of them had names with “Katong Laksa” in it.
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