From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
A popular Southeast Asian noodle soup that features seafood or chicken, fiery red chiles, a fragrant spice paste of garlic, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric and cilantro, and rich coconut milk. It is a popular street food, and every vendor has his own version of the soup. The name comes from the Persian lakhsha, meaning "slippery." It is thought that the slippery noodles used in the soup originated in Persia, and that they and their name migrated to Southeast Asia along trade routes from the Middle East.
