Easy prawn laksa

Name: Easy prawn laksa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Thai recipes
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; ¼ 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

Published: 28 Feb 06
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Test kitchen approved

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.

Serves 4
Ready in 1 hour

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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
¼ 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

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.
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.
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.
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.

Recipe from March 2006 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 589kcals
Fat: 34.9g (2.3g saturated)
Protein: 27.7g
Carbohydrates: 43.4g (3.5g sugars)
Salt: 2.5g

delicious. tips

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.

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