Thai Style Prawn Laksa

Laksa has to be one of the my favourite Southeast Asian dishes. Not only is it super delicious and aromatic, it can be quite healthy depending on what you put in it. That's mainly due to

how flavourful the soup is - full of spices to give you extra warmth and comfort when you eat it. It actually isn't very popular here in the UK in comparison to Thai Green Curry etc, and I actually first discovered it when I was on holiday in Australia and my aunt and uncle took us to this local Asian restaurant. As soon as it had it I went on a mission to find the paste to bring back home!

It's actually super simple to make and the below recipe is simply a guideline. The great thing about this dish is that it is so versatile - you can use whatever vegetables you like and whichever meat (I'd stick to either prawn or chicken though), or you can keep it strictly vegetarian!

INGREDIENTS (makes approx 4 servings):

• 230g jar of Thai Style Laksa paste (I used Valcom but you can use whichever brand you can find and the amount might vary so don't worry)

• 400ml tin coconut milk

• 180g jumbo king prawns

• 25g vermicelli noodles

• 1 broccoli floret

• 170g baby sweetcorn

• 80g sugar snap peas

• 1 tsp coconut oil

RECIPE:

1. Chop the broccoli into smaller florets, and the baby sweetcorn into 2 finger thick slices.

2. Either steam or boil all of the vegetables until almost cooked, then drain and leave to one side.

3. In the meantime, heat the oil in a large pan then add in the laksa paste and sizzle on medium-high heat for 1 minute.

4. Add in the prawns and allow them to cook on medium-low heat.

5. Once the prawns are cooked, pour in the coconut milk, then fill 1/2 of the tin with water and pour this in. Stir gently.

6. Add in all of your vegetables, mix well then lower the heat and cover. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.

7. Whilst it simmers, bring a pan of water to boil and add in your vermicelli. Once this is cooked, allow to drain on one side.

8. Serve in a bowl by placing a handful of vermicelli first, then topping with the laksa soup. Garnish with some salt and black pepper and coriander if you wish.

ENJOY!

Here's some ideas for alternative vegetables to use:

• Sweet potato

• Mangetout

• Peas

• Pointed red pepper

• Aubergine

• Tenderstem broccoli

• Green beans