KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 — Growing up in Taiping, I only knew of one type of laksa: fat slippery rice noodles in a bowl of spicy, fishy sour broth with lots of julienned vegetables. Yes, assam laksa. 

It was only years later when I came to Kuala Lumpur to work that I discovered yet another kind of laksa. Yellow mee or white meehoon served in a bowl of curry soup with either shredded chicken and/or cockles and prawns. Curry laksa.

It’s not like we didn’t have a similar type dish up north but we simply called our version curry mee!

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Fast forward many years later and I was introduced to other kinds of laksa from other parts of Malaysia: laksam, Johor laksa (which uses spaghetti and not just any of the local noodles!) and of course Sarawak laksa.

According to Wikipedia, there are essentially two types of laksa: either the curry-based broth or the sour tamarind-based one. 

The rest are just variations of one of the these bases. And laksa—in some form—can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and southern Thailand.

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One interesting story about how laksa got its name suggests it comes from the Urdu/Persian word lakhshah which refers to a kind of vermicelli!

While curry laksa and assam laksa can be found quite easily in the Klang Valley, it was only in the last 20 years that Sarawak laksa made its appearance here. 

Even now, it is not easily found everywhere.

Over here in Peninsular Malaysia, there are still many who have not even tasted Sarawak laksa.

So what makes it different from.... say, curry laksa? First of all, its broth is not curry-based. While it has coconut milk, the soup is more a combination of sambal belacan and a touch of tamarind.

Unlike the more rounded taste of a curry, this soup base is more pungent with a hint of sourness.

You can have it with either mee or meehoon but it is always topped with omelette strips, prawns, shredded chicken and coriander leaves. Squeeze some lime over it and dig in.

Very often, you are given an extra spoonful of sambal in case you want to turn up the heat. 

Then there is Johor laksa which spaghetti served in a thick fishy sauce (I hesitate to call it a broth because you are not serving it like a soupy noodle but a saucy one... like pasta!) with lots of shredded and julienned vegetables. And yes, you read right... this dish uses spaghetti.

Again, this labour-intensive dish is not easily found here. Most people will tell you the best is if you are invited to a Johor native’s home for it. 

Still, you know the dishes have made it into the consciousness of Malaysians when Maggi features it as part of its offerings of instant noodles.

Maggi Royale Sarawak Sambal Laksa and Maggi Royale Johor Seafood Laksa are perfect for when you want a quick fix of either laksas.

The sambal paste that comes with the Maggi Royale Sarawak Sambal Laksa has quite a kick and the pungent laksa smells like the real deal.

And the Maggi Royale Johor Seafood Laksa? The thick gravy has the hearty taste of fish with just the right level of spiciness. 

With these two variants, I no longer have to Google for the nearest place that serves these iconic dishes... only to sometimes be disappointed. Now I can just make them for myself whenever the craving strikes.