SOUR FISH SOUP WITH NOODLES / ASAM LAKSA

Ingredients

• 3 pounds fish fresh mackerel, or 2½ lbs of canned mackerel fish in water
• 2 pounds laksa noodles or rice noodles or udon noodles, boiled until cook according to direction
• 5 tablespoons sugar or more to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup tamarind seedles, block/paste, extract the juice with ½ cup of water
• 3 stalks lemon grass
• 5 pieces tamarind asam gelugur / dried, peel
• 8 cups water
• 6 pieces bunga kantan dried bunga kencong/, if you use fresh, you may not need to use that many
• 8 laksa leaves fresh daun Kesum/polyganum leaves/
• 1 tablespoon oil grape seeds, or oil of your choice
• 20 red chilis dried
• 7 ounces shallots
• 10 cloves garlic
• 2 inches galangal skinned
• 1 inch turmeric skinned
• 1 teaspoon shrimp paste / belacan
• 1/4 cucumber julienned
• 1/2 pineapple sliced thinly - optional, I'm not using
• 2 shallots finely slieced
• 4 red chilis seeded and sliced
• 3 sprigs mint leaves