Man Meal Of The Week: Thai Fish Laksa

Laksa is a popular spicy coconut noodle soup, which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver’s 15 Minute Meals, instead of using chicken I used fish and it doesn’t take 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

For the Fish:

4 skinless, boneless higher-welfare white fish fillets
1 heaped tsp Chinese five-spice
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 fresh red chilli
1 tsp fresh lime zest

For the laksa:

2 organic chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 butternut squash, (neck end only)
3 cloves of garlic
1 thumb-sized piece ginger
1 fresh red chilli
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp shrimp paste
½ bunch spring onions, roughly chopped
1 heaped tsp peanut butter
4 dried kaffir lime leaves
½ bunch fresh coriander
½ tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
300g medium rice noodles
600g green beans, topped and tailed
1 punnet sugar snap peas
1 x 400 g tin of light coconut milk
3 limes

METHOD
Serves 4
Preparation 15 minutes without a food processor
Cooking time 15 minutes

Place a pot on high heat and add 1 litre of boiling water and 2 stock cubes.

Get your food processor out, with the grating attachment. If you don’t have a food processor, it’s going to take a bit of arm work. Trim the stalk off the squash, roughly chop the neck end (don’t peel), then grate, then tip into the boiling stock.

Swap to the bowl blade in the processor and add the peeled garlic and ginger, the chilli, turmeric, trimmed spring onions, peanut butter, dried lime leaves, coriander stalks (reserving the leaves), sesame oil, soy, fish sauces and shrimp paste. Blend to a paste, then tip into the stock and add the noodles.

On a plastic chopping board, lay out the fish then season with turmeric, sea salt, Chinese 5 spice and lime zest. Then place a non-stick pan on high heat and add a few drops of sesame oil. Fry the fish for 3 minutes on each side in batches.

Add the green beans to the pot and pour in the coconut milk, and as soon as it boils, taste, correct the seasoning with soy sauce and lime juice, then add the sugar snap peas and turn the heat off.

Squeeze the juice of 1 lime and scatter with the sesame seeds over the fish. Serve with the laksa and lime wedges, sprinkling everything with the coriander leaves and slices of fresh chilli.

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