Chicken and Noodle Laksa

Sometime you just need the clean fresh taste that Thai food brings, after the gluttony that is Christmas, and the longing for comfort dishes through the last few month I really needed something to tingle the taste buds and this more than fulfilled the brief. It's hot, sweet, sour and in ways comforting but mostly refreshing...you just have to try it, I promise you will be converted.

I made the paste using the quantities below but only used half as I reserved the other half to marinade some chicken drumsticks for later in the week, for the marinade I added some brown sugar and honey to the paste. If only using it to make the Laksa then half the amounts.

Serves 2-3

For the paste:

2 Red Chillies roughly chopped 

4 cloves of Garlic peeled and roughly chopped

Thumb Size piece of Ginger peeled and roughly chopped

2 sticks of lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed and roughly chopped

50 g coriander, leaves and stalks

Juice of 2 limes

For Laksa

2 tablespoons sesame oil 

1x200ml can of coconut milk

350 ml of veg stock

2 tablespoons of fish sauce

Handful of sugar snap peas, halved lengthways 

A few florets of baby broccoli

Handful of baby sweetcorn, halved lengthways

 1 chicken fillet sliced very thinly

4 Spring Onions sliced at an angle

100g fine egg noodles

Method

Place the ingredients for the paste in a food processor and blend to form a paste ( now divide the paste into two halves and reserve one halve in the fridge)

Place the sesame oil in a saucepan over medium heat, when hot add the paste and fry for 3 to 4 minutes

Add the coconut milk, stock and fish sauce.

Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins.

Meanwhile place the noodles in a bowl ( I break them up a little) and cover with boiling water. After 4 minutes drain the water.

Add the vegetables and chicken to the saucepan and simmer for another 6 minutes, you want the vegetables to retain some crunch.

Taste and add more lime juice or fish sauce as necessary.

Divide the noodles amongst the bowls and ladle the hot soup on top. Scatter with the spring onion, some coriander leaves and serve with a wedge of lime.