This laksa is my version of the delicious  coconutty creamy sweet and sour Thai broth. Although more of a meal. It’s got soft boiled eggs and roasted tomatoes with spinach and leeks. It works because they are all flavours that work well together. It’s perfect for a midweek supper or on a date night. Once you have made the laksa paste you can keep it for a long time in the  freezer for future use. The laksa jars in the supermarket aren’t as good and fresh tasting, but they are fine if you can’t be bothered to make it.

Recipe

Serves 2.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of laksa paste, see below or shop bought from supermarket
A handful of baby tomatoes halved
A handful of baby spinach
A handful of shredded leek
400ml coconut milk
2 teaspoons of coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons of maple syrup
1-2 shelled boiled eggs per person (I like them soft boiled)
400ml of vegetable stock
Juice of two limes plus one more to make into wedges
A small handful of finely chopped salad onions
100g of uncooked brown rice noodles, follow the instructions on the pack (You can use standard noodles)
A small piece of julienned cucumber for garnish
A small sprig of fresh coriander
Salt to taste

Laksa paste
2 red chillies
2 cloves of garlic
Half a thumb of ginger root or galangal
4 small chopped shallots
1 stick of lemon grass
1 tablespoon of tamarind
2 tablespoons of cashew butter or 50g of raw cashews

Put all the ingredients into a small blender and whizz up till smooth. I used my stick blender to do this and it worked really well. Put paste into a container and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks or much longer in the freezer.

How:
Preheat oven to 180°C and roast the tomatoes in one teaspoon of coconut oil with half a teaspoon of the maple syrup and salt and pepper for about 10 minutes or until slightly browning.
Meanwhile cook the noodles, if using rice noodles they just need to soak in boiling water then drain and set to one side.
In a saucepan over a medium heat, fry the laksa paste for a couple of minutes, then add the leeks, spinach, coconut milk, stock and the rest of the maple syrup and gently simmer for about five minutes. Salt to taste.
Divide the noodles between two large bowls, then ladle the coconut sauce into the bowls.
Place the halved boiled eggs on top with the roasted tomatoes, coriander, salad onions and cucumber and then serve with the lime wedges.

I shop at:
Waitrose
Sainsbury’s
Tesco
Lidl