Laksa is a spicy paste made from garlic, lemongrass, chilli and almonds. Use it to make this exciting Asian noodle soup with a real kick
Ingredients
- 20 raw prawns with shells and heads on
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp laksa paste (see below)
- 400ml can coconut milk
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
- 200g Chinese medium egg noodles
- 1/4 cucumber, cut into thin strips
- Small bunch of fresh coriander
For the laksa paste
- 2 red chillies, deseeded if you like
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2.5cm piece ginger or galangal, roughly chopped
- 4 small shallots, roughly chopped
- 1 stick lemongrass, outer layer discarded, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
- 50g ground almonds
Method
- 1. Make the laksa paste by blitzing all the ingredients in a processor to a rough-textured paste. Set aside 3 tablespoons and keep the rest in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- 2. Remove the heads and shells from the prawns – leave the tail-shells on. Pop the heads and shells into a pan with 750ml cold water and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock into a jug, discarding the solids.
- 3. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over a medium heat. Add the prawns and fry for 2 minutes. Add the 3 tablespoons laksa paste and fry for 2 minutes more. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and shellfish stock and gently simmer.
- 4. Blanch the noodles in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and divide between bowls. Top with the prawns and their soup, then garnish with the cucumber and coriander to serve.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 589kcals, 34.9g fat (2.3g saturated), 27.7g protein, 43.4g carbs, 3.5g sugar, 2.5g salt
Chef's tip
If you don’t want to make your own laksa paste, you can buy it from major supermarkets or use a good Thai curry paste instead.