THE SS2 Medan Selera Malam in Petaling Jaya is a place where you can find an array of interesting hawker food.
One of my recent discoveries there were two char koay teow stalls.
But one particular food operator caught my attention, and it was stall number 51, which sells assam laksa.
Now, as far as I can remember, this soupy noodle dish was introduced to the Klang Valley by those from the northern region.
My first taste of the tangy soup-based noodles was back in the mid-1970s when I was a child growing up in the Pasar Raja Bot area in Kuala Lumpur.
At the time, the hawkers would sell assam laksa in a porcelain bowl from their modified tricycles.
I knew that the assam laksa man was nearby when the powerful aroma of the laksa gravy permeated the air whenever he the ikan kembung-based soup.
As time progressed and with inflation as a factor, the price of RM1 a bowl shot up to RM5 per serving.
Back in the day, assam laksa was a humble noodle dish and almost everyone in the neighbourhood could afford it.
Well, this is no different at SS2’s Medan Selera Malam.
For the nocturnal feeder: SS2’s Medan Selera Malam is known as a favourite makan place for those who indulge in the night scene.
I had a taste of stall 51’s assam laksa and I must say that even with inflation (ikan kembung now sells at RM18 per kg), the portion was generous with plenty of fish meat in the gravy.
And at RM4.50 for a small bowl, there’s hardly anything I would complain about.
The noodles tasted great and with enough otak udang (shrimp paste), the assam laksa experience at this hawker centre was a nostalgic affair.
If you want to take a shot at eating in this stall, it opens for lunch and dinner daily.
The Medan Selera Malam (GPS N 03 07.073, E 101 37.268) is located on Jalan SS2/61, Petaling Jaya.
