Vegetable laksa

A spicy delight! There are three parts to this dish: noodles, fresh vegetables, and a curry soup. I usually make a large quantity of the soup, then freeze most of it so I can whip up an easy and quick week night meal another time, just by adding noodles and veges.

1 onion or 6 shallots, finely chopped
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced
2 cups coconut milk
3 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons red curry paste
squares of fried bean curd puffs, halved
fresh egg noodles (Hokkien)
dried rice (or bean thread) vermicelli
bean shoots
partly-cooked vegetables, e.g. broccoli, carrots

Heat wok and add some oil. Fry onions until fragrant, about five minutes. Reduce heat, add curry powder, curry paste and lemongrass, and fry for two minutes on a low heat.

Add coconut milk and stock, and bring to the boil, stirring for five minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook both lots of noodles. Distribute noodles, bean shoots, bean curd puffs and vegetables between warm, deep soup bowls. Add very hot soup and serve immediately.

Last weekend's laksa featured baby corn,

snow peas, carrots, and button mushrooms