SEAFOOD LAKSA
I love a laksa, that noodly hot, sweet stew, somewhere between a soup and a curry. I know there are a lot of ingredients, but the cooking itself is not labour intensive. If you can’t find little red Thai shallots, then just use the same number of spring onions, chopped roughly before being put into the processor for blitzing. You can presume, as always, that the fish stock is not intended to be made from boney scratch. The regular bouillon concentrate will do fine.
2 long red chillies, deseeded
2cm ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
8 Thai shallots, peeled
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons groundnut oil
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
1 litre fish stock
1 lemongrass, cut into 3
1 teaspoon tamarind water
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
250g medium raw prawns
250g cleaned squid tubes
125g beansprouts
250g medium flat rice noodles
bunch of coriander, chopped
Put the chillies, ginger, shrimp paste, shallots and turmeric into a food processor and blitz to a paste. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and tip the mixture in, frying gently to soften but not colour.
Add the coconut milk, fish stock, lemongrass, tamarind, sugar and fish sauce, and bring to the boil.
Butterfly the prawns by cutting halfway through the inside curve of each prawn so that they fan out. Cut the squid into bite-sized squares and score them in a hatch pattern, taking care not to cut them all the way through. Add the seafood to the laksa, and then soak the beansprouts for a few seconds in boiling water and the noodles for a little longer until they rehydrate. (Check the packet instructions for the noodles you are using.) When the prawns and squid are cooked, in about 5–10 minutes, add the beansprouts and noodles and take the pan off the heat.
Ladle into bowls, sprinkling some freshly chopped coriander on top.