Ingredients
| 1 cup desiccated coconut | |
| 2 tablespoons plain oil | |
| 125ml laksa paste | |
| 2 litres vegetable stock (use a low or no-salt variety) | |
| 600g kūmara, peeled and cut in 1cm cubes | |
| 400ml coconut milk | |
| lime juice, sugar, fish or soy sauce, to season | |
| 100g tofu puffs | |
| 200g leafy greens such as mustard greens, pak choy, bok choy | |
| 400g noodles, cooked according to packet instructions | |
| a selection of herbs (mint, coriander, Thai basil, Vietnamese mint) fried shallots, bean sprouts, limes, to serve | |
| SEAFOOD LAKSA | |
| 250g fish balls | |
| 16 wild-caught prawns, peeled | |
| 250g fish fillet, cut into large pieces |
I have used the rendang technique of toasting coconut to very dark and blending to give a deep flavour and colour, but if you are short of time you could substitute a few tablespoons of miso paste at the end as an alternative.
SEAFOOD LAKSA
Just a few substitutions to the recipe above – omitting the kūmara and greens and adding seafood – make an excellent seafood laksa.
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Instructions
| 1. | Put the coconut in a bowl and stir in 200 ml water to moisten it well but not make it runny. |
| 2. | Leave to rehydrate for 1 hour. |
| 3. | Put the coconut into a dry frying pan over a low-medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for about 25 minutes until very dark golden. |
| 4. | Leave to cool a little. |
| 5. | Put into a high-speed blender and blend to a smooth paste, scraping down often – this will take a few minutes depending on your blender. |
| 6. | Store in the fridge for up to a week. |
| 7. | For the laksa, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the laksa paste for 5 minutes then stir in the coconut paste, stock and kūmara and bring to the boil. |
| 8. | Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until the kūmara is tender. |
| 9. | Add the coconut milk and return to a simmer. |
| 10. | Taste and season to your liking with lime juice, sugar and fish or soy sauce. |
| 11. | Stir in the tofu puffs and greens to heat through. |
| 12. | Divide the noodles between four bowls and spoon over the laksa. |
| 13. | Top with fresh herbs, fried shallots, bean sprouts and lime. |
| 14. | SEAFOOD LAKSA |
| 15. | Make the laksa paste, adding 1 tablespoon shrimp paste. |
| 16. | Begin the laksa as in the recipe above, up to the point where you have added the stock. |
| 17. | Simmer for 15 minutes, then add the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer. |
| 18. | Add the fish balls and cook for 4 minutes then add the prawns and fish pieces and cook for a further 2 minutes then season with lime juice, sugar and fish or soy sauce and stir through the tofu puffs. |
| 19. | Serve over noodles and finish as above. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith Photography Aaron McLean Styling Fiona Lascelles.