I don't know anyone who doesn't like laksa. This is a tasty vegan version. It took a while to find a paste which didn't have anchovy/fish sauce in it but there is one or two out there. I found mine at the organic store. Another good way to use up some vegetables you have and don't know what to do with. There's lots of room to experiment with this recipe.
The Soup
2 medium or 1 large brown onions
1 Tbsp olive oil (or ricebran or canola oil – whatever you like)
6-8 cloves garlic
2 red Thai chilies
1 green Thai chili
2 Tbsp sugar
1 heaped Tbsp Laksa Paste (about 60g/2oz)
1 heaped Tbsp Yellow Curry Paste (about 60g/2oz)
1 flat Tbsp Sambal Oelek (about half as much as the Laksa and Curry pastes unless you like your Laksa turbo-hot!)
2 heaped tsp vegan stock powder
1-2 litres boiling water
2 cans organic coconut cream
Soy Sauce
2 limes (or 1 lemon if limes aren’t available)
1 bunch fresh coriander
cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken slightly
The Veg
4 med-lg ripe tomatoes
2 med-lg carrots
3 med potatoes (waxy, such as desiree)
2 cups roughly chopped savoy cabbage
1-2 medium zucchini
1 cup sliced snow peas
1 bag of baby spinach
1 cup roughly chopped bean sprouts
Alternative vegetables you might like to try:
sweet potato
pumpkin
baby corn
cauliflower
green beans
broccoli
bok choy
mushrooms (sauté with the tofu)
Other Yummy Bits
1-2 packets fresh hokkien or singapore noodles (dried noodles I’m sure are okay if fresh ones aren’t available – egg free of course)
350g or 500g block organic firm tofu (or a packet of fried bean curd puffs)
To make the soup:
Mince garlic and chop onion. Half chilies lengthwise and remove seeds from one of them (leave all the seeds in if you want the laksa to be superturbo-hot) – slice finely. Sauté in a little oil until they start to soften. Add sugar, Laksa and Yellow Curry pastes, Sambal Olek, & sauté a bit longer to release the flavours.
Add boiling water (start with 1 litre and add to it later if you want), stock powder & coconut cream. Add a few shakes of soy sauce. Heat gently & simmer for about 20 minutes – not too vigorous or the coconut cream might separate.
(Meanwhile, you can prepare the tofu & vegetables…)
Soup will be quite watery and thin, so if you like, thicken a little with some cornflour or plain flour mixed with cold water.
Add roughly chopped coriander (you can also finely chop the stalks and add those along with the leaves) and the lime juice to soup just before serving.
The bits & pieces for the bowl:
Lightly steam a selection of chopped vegetables. You can do this ahead of time if you like, & reheat just before serving. In the batch of Laksa I’ve photographed here, I steamed sliced carrots, savoy cabbage & broccoli, & boiled the potatoes.
Peel the tomatoes by scoring the bottoms with a cross and pouring boiling water over them in a bowl (leave them for about 1-2 minutes before removing them). The skin will peel right off. Quarter them and remove the core, seeds and pulp. Chop the flesh roughly.
Greens such as beansprouts & baby spinach are left raw. Just wash them & pat dry on paper towels.
Meanwhile, cut tofu into little cubes and sauté them in oil in a hot pan with a generous amount of Ketjap Manis. Season with salt and black pepper. Fry until evenly browned and the Ketjap Manis has thickened and coated the tofu cubes (add sliced mushrooms too if you like). Try not to eat them all, they’re yummy!!
Chop noodles into shorter lengths. Separate strands a little and pour boiling water over the top – leave for 2-3 minutes or as per instructions on packet, then drain.
Spoon vegetables, tofu & noodles into serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup over the top. Garnish with extra bean sprouts. For an extra-fancy flourish, also garnish with sliced cucumber, chopped peanuts, sprigs of coriander & lime wedges.
Eat! :)
Recipe found at: http://magicjelly.com.au/blog/2012/01/vegan-laksa/
2 medium or 1 large brown onions
1 Tbsp olive oil (or ricebran or canola oil – whatever you like)
6-8 cloves garlic
2 red Thai chilies
1 green Thai chili
2 Tbsp sugar
1 heaped Tbsp Laksa Paste (about 60g/2oz)
1 heaped Tbsp Yellow Curry Paste (about 60g/2oz)
1 flat Tbsp Sambal Oelek (about half as much as the Laksa and Curry pastes unless you like your Laksa turbo-hot!)
2 heaped tsp vegan stock powder
1-2 litres boiling water
2 cans organic coconut cream
Soy Sauce
2 limes (or 1 lemon if limes aren’t available)
1 bunch fresh coriander
cornflour (cornstarch) to thicken slightly
The Veg
4 med-lg ripe tomatoes
2 med-lg carrots
3 med potatoes (waxy, such as desiree)
2 cups roughly chopped savoy cabbage
1-2 medium zucchini
1 cup sliced snow peas
1 bag of baby spinach
1 cup roughly chopped bean sprouts
Alternative vegetables you might like to try:
sweet potato
pumpkin
baby corn
cauliflower
green beans
broccoli
bok choy
mushrooms (sauté with the tofu)
Other Yummy Bits
1-2 packets fresh hokkien or singapore noodles (dried noodles I’m sure are okay if fresh ones aren’t available – egg free of course)
350g or 500g block organic firm tofu (or a packet of fried bean curd puffs)
To make the soup:
Mince garlic and chop onion. Half chilies lengthwise and remove seeds from one of them (leave all the seeds in if you want the laksa to be superturbo-hot) – slice finely. Sauté in a little oil until they start to soften. Add sugar, Laksa and Yellow Curry pastes, Sambal Olek, & sauté a bit longer to release the flavours.
Add boiling water (start with 1 litre and add to it later if you want), stock powder & coconut cream. Add a few shakes of soy sauce. Heat gently & simmer for about 20 minutes – not too vigorous or the coconut cream might separate.
(Meanwhile, you can prepare the tofu & vegetables…)
Soup will be quite watery and thin, so if you like, thicken a little with some cornflour or plain flour mixed with cold water.
Add roughly chopped coriander (you can also finely chop the stalks and add those along with the leaves) and the lime juice to soup just before serving.
The bits & pieces for the bowl:
Lightly steam a selection of chopped vegetables. You can do this ahead of time if you like, & reheat just before serving. In the batch of Laksa I’ve photographed here, I steamed sliced carrots, savoy cabbage & broccoli, & boiled the potatoes.
Peel the tomatoes by scoring the bottoms with a cross and pouring boiling water over them in a bowl (leave them for about 1-2 minutes before removing them). The skin will peel right off. Quarter them and remove the core, seeds and pulp. Chop the flesh roughly.
Greens such as beansprouts & baby spinach are left raw. Just wash them & pat dry on paper towels.
Meanwhile, cut tofu into little cubes and sauté them in oil in a hot pan with a generous amount of Ketjap Manis. Season with salt and black pepper. Fry until evenly browned and the Ketjap Manis has thickened and coated the tofu cubes (add sliced mushrooms too if you like). Try not to eat them all, they’re yummy!!
Chop noodles into shorter lengths. Separate strands a little and pour boiling water over the top – leave for 2-3 minutes or as per instructions on packet, then drain.
Spoon vegetables, tofu & noodles into serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup over the top. Garnish with extra bean sprouts. For an extra-fancy flourish, also garnish with sliced cucumber, chopped peanuts, sprigs of coriander & lime wedges.
Eat! :)
Recipe found at: http://magicjelly.com.au/blog/2012/01/vegan-laksa/
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