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Vegan Laksa
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Vegan Laksa

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: South East Asian
Keyword: bean sprouts, black sesame seeds, butternut squash, coconut cream, coconut milk, coriander, cumin, edamame, galangal, ginger, laksa, lime, mangetout, noodles, paprika, rice noodles, shallots, turmeric, vegetable stock
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

For the laksa paste

  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 0.5 tsp turmeric
  • 0.5 tsp paprika
  • 5 red chillies adjust for your own spice tolerance
  • 3 shallots roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1.5 inch piece galangal (or root ginger, see note 1)
  • 2 sticks lemongrass roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil

For the noddle soup

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small butternut squash cubed
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 1 red pepper cut into strips
  • 225 grams mangetout
  • 150 grams edamame
  • 200 grams bean sprouts
  • 400 millilitres coconut milk
  • 150 millilitres coconut cream
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 400 millilitres vegetable stock
  • 4 nests rice noodles (see note 2)

For the garnish

  • 1 lime cut into wedges
  • 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
  • 1 handful fresh coriander

Instructions

To make the laksa paste

  • Add the coriander, paprika, cumin and turmeric to a small frying pan over medium heat and toast for 1 to 2 minutes until they are releasing their oils and smelling fragrant then allow to cool.
  • Add the chillies, onion, lemongrass, galangal (or ginger) and the cooled spice mixture to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
  • Add in the oil and run the processor on low until you have a smooth paste.

To make the noodle soup

  • In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil and add the cubes of butternut squash. Fry for 5-10 minutes or until they are starting to soften but are slightly crisp on the outside.
  • Add the shallots with a big pinch of salt and cook for another 5 minutes until the shallots have softened.
  • Turn the heat up high and add the red pepper and mangetout. Stir fry the vegetables for 2 - 5 minutes.
  • Turn the heat back down to a medium heat and add the laksa paste, stirring to stop it catching from the heat.
  • Next add the coconut milk, coconut cream, soy sauce and vegetable stock.
  • Stir to ensure the ingredients are all combined and simmer until the butternut squash is cooked through.
  • Add the beansprouts, edamame and rice noodles to the pan and simmer for a few minutes until the additional ingredients are all cooked through and piping hot.
  • Serve with a wedge of lime, a sprinkling of black sesame seeds and some fresh coriander.

Notes

Note 1 - galangal versus ginger

Galangal and ginger look similar as they are both from the same flavour. But, look a little closer and you will see that both the skin and flesh of galangal is much lighter and less yellow. Galangal has a light citrus flavour which is much brighter than the fiery, spicy notes of ginger. Even though ginger will make this dish a little more fiery, I've suggested it as an alternative to galangal as, in my opinion, it's the closest substitute that is easy to fine. It also still tastes delicious! Enjoy. 

Note 2 - measuring rice noodles

I've always bought rice noodles that are packaged up in "nests". These make it incredibly easy to work out what is a portion; just use one nest per person! If the rice noodles you buy are not packaged in this way, I would recommend between 60 and 90 grams of rice noodles per person.