Laksa Johor 🍝 History of Uniquely Johor Tradition & Heritage Food

Laksa Johor is a truly unique and delicious style of laksa created in Johor. Legend has it that Sultan Sir Abu Bakar of Johor (1833 - 1895) was visiting Europe, and when in Italy, he fell in love with spaghetti 🍝

When Sultan Sir Abu Bakar returned to Johor, he directed the palace chef to create a dish combining the traditional laksa gravy with spaghetti. Laksa Johor was thus invented - this must be one of the earliest examples of East-West fusion food 🍝

While Laksa Johor is uniquely Johor, it is surprisingly difficult to find at eateries, even here in Johor. The reason is because the preparation of Laksa Johor is extremely tedious and takes long hours (so it is not commercially lucrative).

I've been told many times that the best Laksa Johor can only be found at home - lovingly made for special celebrations.

Going to the market, assembling the numerous ingredients needed for the gravy, like herbs and spices, and fresh Ikan Tenggiri or Ikan Parang is already one big job. To make Laksa Johor you need lemongrass, galangal, tamarind paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, onion, coconut cream, grated coconut, fish, prawn, dried shrimp, belacan, salted fish, kerisik, curry paste, chili pepper, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, etc.

And, this is just the beginning.

Then, preparing these ingredients is very labour intensive because to get the authentic taste and flavour, it has to be done by hand, the old way. So, usually most of the family, extended family and even neighbours are involved. Sitting down together, preparing food together is a great bonding ritual.



Finally, when all the ingredients are ready, we need a talented chef who has mastered the skill to put it all together to create this magically delicious dish. No wonder, Laksa Johor is so difficult to find at the shops - it is very hard to make it commercially worthwhile.

Fortunately, there are a few eateries recommended by friends of Johor Kaki that serve good Laksa Johor at reasonable prices.

Click on the following pictures of Laksa Johor to read the full story about these recommended Laksa Johor shops.

Restaurant name: Al Ansar Café

Address: 64, Jalan Permas 1/25, Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, 81750 Masai, Johor
Hours: 6:00am to 3:00pm (closed on Sunday and Public Holidays)

Restaurant name: Restoran Bumbu Asli

Address: 36-L, Jalan Kolam Ayer, Johor Bahru
Hours: 7:00am to 4:00pm (closed on alternate Sundays)

Restaurant name: Dann's Café

Address: 42, Jalan Sagu, Taman Daya, Johor Bahru
Hours: 10:30am to 9:30pm

Where to get laksa Johor 👈 click

The precursor of Laksa Johor uses thick rice vermicelli for carbs (before it was replaced by spaghetti in Johor). Such a laksa can still be found in Singapore but is rarely sold in stalls or eateries. It is known as Laksa Siglap - one place to get it is Warung Selera Masakan Kampung Nasi Campur by Kak Ani in Joo Chiat 👈 click

Written by Tony Boey on 25 Nov 2012 | Reviewed 1 Sep 2023

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