KUALA LUMPUR — Laksa, a traditional noodle dish loved and cherished by all Malaysians.
However, an online war has been brewing amongst local social media users over the best laksa as there are several different types of laksa in Malaysia including laksa Kedah, laksa Johor and laksa Sarawak.
These laksa differ in taste and texture as each have their own special ingredients and preparation.
It has even seen the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah getting in on the debate.
Her Instagram post called on people not to argue over laksa and she provided some tips to get a flavourful dish.
Although the debate about the dish is not new to Malaysians, the squabble was reignited following a posti in Facebook group Berkongsi Ilmu Kuih-Muih dan Masakan (BIKMM) after user Sarah Az-Zahra has shared a recipe for laksa Johor.
Things began to escalate after Facebook user Siti Rahmah Ahmad left a comment criticising Sarah’s choice of fish which suggested using Indian mackerel.
“If you don’t have ikan tenggiri (narrow-barred Spanish mackerel), please use ikan parang (wolf herring).
“Please don’t lower the standards of Johor by using Ikan kembong (Indian mackerel) or Ikan selayang (white tipped mackerel scad).
“Those are the east-coast and north standards,” Siti wrote in the comment section.
Siti’s comment triggered other Facebook users who later bombarded the comment section criticising her choice of fish and apparently, her choice of words while some defended her as well.
The post’s original author said the types of fish used can be anything depending on one’s budget as the ikan tenggiri and ikan parang are more expensive than ikan kembung.
The situation worsened after another Facebook user, Mastika Halim left a comment criticising the essence of laksa Johor which uses spaghetti as their main noodles instead of rice noodles which are commonly used for laksa kedah.
“At least we did not mistake rice noodles with spaghetti, whenever we go and buy laksa, we will buy packets that has ‘laksa’ written on it, not spaghetti.
“Laksa is Laksa!
“I can make laksa using any fish even with skipjack tuna or sardine, the ikan tenggiri and ikan parang we usually use for dried fish only.
“We make laksa, they also want to make ;aksa,” Mastika wrote in the comment section.
Despite the squabbling comments, other Facebook users came together and agreed that no matter what kind of fish was used in the laksa, the taste was the most important part.
Sarah’s post has garnered over 7,000 likes with over 4,000 comments and has been shared over 4,000 times on Facebook.
The “war” continued to circulate on social media since Monday and got the attention of former Malaysian prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who decided to jump into the bandwagon as well.
“Oh no, I missed the bus. What’s going on with laksa?
“Suddenly I feel like eating it, can anyone recommend which one is tasty?” Najib posted on his Facebook wall.
Other social media users also took jabs at the matter such as user Mohamad Nasir Bin Mustapha who posted images of Laksa Sarawak on Facebook group Masak Apa Tak Jadi Hari Ni Official.
“I’m representing Laksa Sarawak, even though I don’t know how to make it.
“The important part is, to eat,” Nasir wrote in his post.