Thick rice noodles in a sour tamarind and mackerel broth, piled with cucumber, pineapple, mint, torch ginger and a spoon of pungent hae ko prawn paste.

Assam laksa is Penang's own answer to the coconut laksas of the south: a fish broth soured with tamarind (asam) and sharpened with torch ginger flower, a profile carried from Thai-influenced northern Malay kitchens into Chinese hawker stalls. Air Itam's stalls beside the wet market made the dish famous, and third-generation carts like Wan Dao Tou still build it on 50-year-old family recipes. The hae ko prawn paste stirred in at the table is the make-or-break step.

4 editor picks for Assam laksa in Penang, ranked by editorial score. All Penang signature dishes · Assam laksa across every city.