With its searing chilli, ginger and garlic enveloped by a blanket of noodles and coconut soup, I think laksa is a wonderful antidote to colds and cold weather. I urge any swede-dodgers to think twice about today’s recipe: its buttery earthiness, alongside the caramelised shallots, adds a sweet and smoky magic.
Laksa
Prep 12 min
Cooking 45 min
Serves 4
6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2½ tsp ground cumin
2 lemongrass stalks, bases only, roughly chopped
30g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
6 banana shallots, peeled and halved
1 litre vegetable stock (suitable for vegans)
Rapeseed oil
1 x 400ml tin coconut milk
1½ tsp salt
1½ tsp sugar
800g root or comfort vegetable eg. potato, butternut quash, swede (ie, about ¾ of a large one), peeled
150g rice vermicelli noodles
2 limes, cut into 4 wedges each
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6 and line two large baking trays with foil.
To make the laksa paste, put the garlic, ginger, chilli powder, ground cumin, lemongrass, coriander stalks and two shallots into a blender with 150ml stock, and whizz to a paste.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a deep-sided pot on a low flame and, once hot, scrape the paste into the pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly so it doesn’t catch, then slowly add the coconut milk until it’s well mixed in. Add the remaining stock, the salt and the sugar, and simmer for 20 minutes until rich and flavourful. Season to taste, then take off the heat.
While the soup is cooking, halve the root vegetable, say swede, cut it into 1cm-thick slices, then arrange on one of the lined trays. Separate the remaining shallots into “petals” by halving them and removing the individual segments, and put these on the second lined tray. Lightly drizzle oil over both vegetables, toss with your hands so they’re well coated, and sprinkle with a little salt. Roast the shallots for 20 minutes and the root vegetable for 30, until cooked and caramelised.
Cook the noodles in boiling water as per the packet instructions (usually two to three minutes), then drain and rinse under cold water.
To serve, reheat the soup on a medium heat, if need be. Distribute the noodles between four bowls and ladle on the hot soup. Put the hot swede and caramelised shallots on top and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Squeeze a wedge of lime over each serving, and serve with more lime on the side.