Ingredients
The following ingredients have 6 Servings
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1.4 litres coconut milk
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp fish sauce, or to taste
- 1 tbsp shaved light palm sugar, or to taste
- 1 bunch snake beans, cut into 5cm lengths
- 400 gm thin dried rice noodles
- 6 boiled eggs, halved
- To serve: Vietnamese mint
- To serve: cucumber, cut into julienne
- 20 gm shrimp paste
- 8 candlenuts (see note)
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only), coarsely chopped
- 1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 6 dried long red chillies, soaked in warm water for 1 hour, drained
- 20 gm galangal, pounded with a mortar and pestle (4cm piece)
- 15 gm turmeric, coarsely chopped (3cm piece)
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- For deep-frying: vegetable oil
- 500 gm silken tofu, cut into 4cm cubes
- 75 gm plain flour (½ cup)
Instruction
- For laksa paste, preheat oven to 180C. Wrap shrimp paste in foil and roast until fragrant (5-10 minutes). Dry-roast candlenuts, coriander seeds and cumin seeds (2-3 minutes), transfer to a mortar and pestle and pound until finely ground. Process lemongrass in a food processor or blender until very finely chopped, add remaining ingredients, shrimp paste, candlenuts, spices and 2 tbsp water and process to a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add laksa paste, stir-fry until fragrant and toasted (2-4 minutes), then add coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then add fish sauce and palm sugar. Set aside and keep warm.
- Blanch snake beans (2 minutes), refresh and set aside.
- For fried tofu, heat 5cm vegetable oil in a wok until shimmering. Dust tofu with flour and deep-fry in batches, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp (2-3 minutes). Drain on absorbent paper.
- Cook noodles in boiling water until tender (2-4 minutes), drain and divide among serving bowls. Top with snake beans, boiled eggs and fried tofu, then ladle hot soup over. Serve with Vietnamese mint and cucumber.
