Laksa Lemak (Spicy Coconut Milk Soup with Seafood and Noodles)

This is another of my ultimate favourite "desert-island" dishes - Singaporean Spicy Coconut Milk soup with Seafood and Noodles - a meal in a bowl that is spicy and soothing and full of interesting flavours and textures.

The "authentic" method would be to pound all the ingredients for a spice paste plus candlenuts together in a mortar and pestle, but I simplify by having home-made red curry paste in my fridge/freezer, and then add the crushed macadamia nuts (to substitute for candlenuts which aren't exactly readily available outside of Singapore/Indonesia) and additional garlic etc separately (you won't go to hell if you use store-bought curry pastes either but home-made does taste miles better ... ).

I've made this equally successfully with two or three chicken breast fillets, diced, when seafood isn't available (either for economic or access reasons).

Serves 2 (you will go back for seconds I'm sure - and leftovers are always good).

 

Ingredients:

3 tbspn Red Curry Paste

100g unsalted macadamia nuts, crushed

4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced

2 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely sliced

2 red chillies, finely sliced

3 tspn chopped fresh coriander

1 x 400 ml can coconut milk

1 litre chicken, fish or prawn stock

2 fillets firm white fish, cut into 3 cm cubes

400 g uncooked king prawns, peeled *

4 bundles fine rice noodles

3 bunches pak choy or choy sum, chopped

 

 

Garnishes

 

2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced into quarters lengthwise

100 g fresh beansprouts, ends trimmed of scraggly or manky bits

half a cucumber, peeled and sliced crosswise then lengthwise into matchsticks

2 red chillies, extra, finely chopped or bottled chilli sauce

100 g peanuts, finely chopped  

 

 

 

* I reserve the heads and shells from the prawns in this and other dishes, and keep them in a freezer bag in a tupperware container in the freezer, and when I have a nice lot I will make a rich stock for this soup or other fish soups.  Fry the prawn heads and shells in a little oil in a saucepan until they turn pink, then add a litre or more of water depending on the amount of prawns, plus maybe a little grated ginger, and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Strain and reserve stock.

 

Method:

Heat canola oil in wok, stir fry curry paste, crushed macadamia nuts, garlic, ginger, chillies and coriander. Fry until well combined and softened and oil begins to separate out, about 5 minutes. Don't allow to burn! Add coconut milk and stock to wok, stir until well combined with paste. Simmer on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes. Add cubes of fish and prawns (leave tails on prawns if liked!) and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile soak/cook rice noodles separately. Steam pak choy or choy sum separately.

Drain rice noodles and divide between large deep Asian soup bowls. Arrange steamed greens on top.  With a slotted spoon, scoop out seafood from coconut milk and place on top of greens and noodles. Ladle spicy coconut milk soup over seafood and noodles.  Scatter a few bits of each garnish over the top or arrange garnishes on a platter for diners to serve themselves.