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Laksa With Cauliflower

Laksa, the epic Malaysian spicy coconut noodle soup, is a must-try at least once in your life! The soup is rich, fragrant, a bit spicy and loaded with lots of vegetables.

Cauliflower Power

Serves
Serves 4
Total Time
35 Minutes
Ingredients
Cripsy Tofu
200g of firm tofu, drained
1 tbsp of cornflour/cornstarch
2 tbsp of vegetable oil, for frying
Salt
Laksa
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
4 tbsp of vegan laksa paste
1 litre of vegetable stock
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of palm sugar
400ml can of coconut milk
200g of cauliflower, cut into florets
80g of mini courgettes
100g of asparagus tips
Freshly squeezed juice of 1–2 limes
200g, of rice/soba noodles
To Finish
50g of beansprouts
3 spring onions sliced diagonally
10g of coriander, leaves picked
1 red chilli, sliced diagonally
Lime wedges
Chilli sauce
Method
Step 1

For the crispy tofu, line a plate with a folded paper towel and set the tofu on top. Set a small plate on top of the tofu and weigh it down with something heavy. Pat the tofu dry with more towels. Cut into cubes, season with salt and evenly coat with the cornflour/cornstarch.

Step 2

Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet and add all of the tofu in a single layer. The tofu should sizzle upon contact – if not, wait a few minutes to let the pan heat up more. At first, the tofu will stick to the pan, so wait until the tofu releases from the pan before browning the next side. Fry until all sides are brown and crispy. Transfer to a cooling rack. It will remain crisp only for a few hours.

Step 3

For the laksa, heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil. Swirl to coat. Add the laksa paste and cook, stirring, for three minutes or until fragrant.

Step 4

Add the stock, soy sauce and palm sugar, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the coconut milk and simmer for five minutes

Step 5

Add the cauliflower, mini courgettes/zucchini and asparagus tips, and cook for two minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice to taste. Stir to combine.

Step 6

Meanwhile, place the noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to stand for five minutes or until tender. Drain and divide the noodles between four bowls. Ladle the coconut mixture over the noodles. Serve with the crispy tofu, beansprouts, spring onions, coriander, chilli and lime wedges, and an extra drizzle of chilli sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Cauliflower Power by Kathy Kordalis, published by Ryland Peter, £9.99. Photography courtesy of Mowie Kay.

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