Laksa fever hits
fever has hit boiling point as restaurants and cafes create inspired dishes of Darwin’s equivalent of a national dish.
The laksa, which has origins through out South East Asia had become the food Darwinites reach for, during lunch, dinner, and for the die hard fans breakfast on a Saturday morning. There’s no denying we love the spicy rich coconut based soup.
Those restaurants who don’t offer up the dish have still got on board for the inaugural Laksa Festival by creating their own dishes inspired by the flavours.
Laneway Specialty Coffee have fused Indonesia’s nasi goreng rice dish with the spices of a laksa to create a unique brown rice laksa bowl.
Laneway Specialty Coffee co-owner Lisa Heames said their chef Dika Krishna who comes from Bali created the dish.
“It’s a brown rice laksa bowl with vegetables, fried onion, fried egg and the guys make the laksa paste from scratch,” Ms Heames said.
Laneway’s sister cafe Besser Kitchen & Brew Bar has also jumped on the bandwagon offering up hungry patrons a Crispy chicken laksa burger. The dish is made up of fried chicken which is basted in a laksa spice mix and served with crispy bean sprouts and chilli fries.
The dish was created by their chef who hails from Jakarta, Indonesia. Ms Heames said the laksa competition had proved to be a great way to change up the menu and give chefs a chance to flex their creative muscles.
“It’s been nice to see those dishes bought to life,” she said.
“It’s nice for the chefs to use their creativity to create a dish and to be able to see it ordered and enjoyed.” The specials will be available during the Darwin Laksa Festival with the possibility of them become a permanent fixture on the menu if they prove to be a hit.
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