Servings: 4 Servings
Curry Laksa with Tofu
This curry laksa with tofu is perfect for those cold fall or winter days! Check out the notes for a simplified version of the recipe! Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) chopped onions
- 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 3 tablespoons lemongrass paste, or 1/4 cup, 15g, chopped lemongrass
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 Thai chilis, sliced
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 2 tablespoons safflower oil, any vegetable oil works
- 15 sprigs of cilantro, about 30 grams, chopped in half
- 5 cups (1.2 liters) vegetable stock
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) canned lite coconut milk (or 1/2 to 2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk)
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, or any sweetener of choice
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, optional
- kosher salt, to taste
- 4 to 8 ounces (115 to 225g) vermicelli rice noodles
- 14- ounce (400g) package of medium-firm tofu, drained
- 2 limes, sliced
Optional Toppings
- 3 cups (300g) bean sprouts
- julienned or shredded carrots
- microgreens
- black sesame seeds
- sliced peppers
Instructions
- In a food processor, blend onions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander, chilis, harissa paste and oil together until a paste forms. Add the bottom halves of the cilantro and blend until it is incorporated. Save rest of cilantro for topping later.
- Heat a dutch oven or a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add paste and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the paste from burning.
- Raise the heat a little and add stock, coconut milk, curry, maple syrup, kaffir lime leaves and a teaspoon or two of kosher salt. Let broth simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
- In a separate pot, bring 8 cups (1.8 liters) of water to boil. Be sure to add a few pinches of salt to the water. Once the water boils, add rice noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. If you are nearly ready to serve the laksa, divide noodles into bowls. If you are waiting at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving, keep noodles submerged in cold water to prevent them from sticking.
- Slice tofu block into 6 slices, lengthwise. Chop each tofu slice into 8 cubes. Set aside.
- When the soup is ready, fish out the kaffir lime leaves, if you're using them. Add salt, if necessary.
- Divide noodles into bowls. Add tofu cubes and spoon soup into the bowls. Squeeze a tiny bit of lime juice over each bowl of noodles. Top with carrots, microgreens, sesame seeds, and sliced peppers, if you like.
- Store leftover noodles and soup separately.
Notes
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Makes 4 Servings. Amount Per Serving: Calories: 455, Total Fat 17g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 181mg, Cholesterol: 0mg, Total Carbohydrate: 63g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Protein 12.6g
- Quick version with red curry sauce: I made a quicker version of this recipe while I was in England, and simplified the curry paste for the broth. I blended a few tablespoons of a Thai red curry sauce, 1/2 cup diced red onions, 4 teaspoons of garlic paste, 4 teaspoons of lemongrass paste, 4 stalks of green onions, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to create the paste. I cooked the paste on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, then added broth and coconut milk. Although the original version was more flavorful, this quick and dirty version was quite tasty, too!
- If you want to serve the laksa as a small appetizer, I suggest cooking 4 ounces of noodles. However, if you want to make this into a main dish, I would cook about 8 ounces of noodles. There should be enough broth for both options.
- This laksa will be a bit spicy. If you don't want that much spice, take out the Thai chilis.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @hellolisalin or leave a star rating and comment on the blog!