What you need
1 tsp each of ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric, 2 small onions (about 190g/7oz), peeled and chopped, 50ml/2fl oz coconut milk, 2.5cm/1in piece of fresh root ginger, roughly chopped, 2 garlic cloves, 2 stalks lemongrass (about 25g/1oz), 2 Fresno chillies, seeds removed, roughly chopped, 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste, 400g/14oz uncooked de-veined prawns,
tails on, 4 tbsp vegetable oil, 350ml/12fl oz coconut milk, 500ml/18fl oz chicken stock, 2 dried kaffir lime leaves, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 3-4 tbsp fish sauce, 2 pinches cracked sea salt, 2 pinches freshly ground black pepper, 2 tbsp potato starch, 100g/3½oz dried vermicelli rice noodles, 1 large lime, juice only, chilli seasoning (powder or flakes), to taste (optional), 80g/3oz
beansprouts, 1 large spring onion.
Method
Put ingredients for laksa paste into a blender and process to a fine paste. Heat two tbspns of vegetable oil in a wok and cook the remaining laksa paste for one minute until it deepens in colour. Stir in coconut milk, stock, dried kaffir lime leaves, sugar, fish sauce and 300ml/10½fl oz water. Bring soup to boil and simmer for 20 minutes until flavour deepens. Add vermicelli rice noodles and stir while cooking for two minutes. Add remaining prawns and cook for two minutes. Season the soup with lime juice, (or salt and dried chilli flakes if preferred), add beansprouts and spring onion. Remove kaffir lime leaves. Divide the noodles evenly among the bowls and ladle over the soup.
