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New York Times
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Gorgeous Is This Chicken Curry Laksa?
Does anyone else find themselves happily tumbling into more project cooking lately? Maybe it's because I'm clinging to the coziness winter provides. Maybe I've watched too many charming, ASMR-adjacent YouTube videos of people calmly assembling wonderful dinners in beautiful locations. Or maybe it's because, if my hands are busy smashing garlic or deveining shrimp, I can't doomscroll on my phone. Whatever the reason, I've really been enjoying my quality kitchen time as of late. So I'm very excited to make Lara Lee's chicken curry laksa, a gorgeous, hearty noodle soup that's kaleidoscopic in flavor: Sour tamarind and spicy dried chile punch through the sweet coconut milk; salty dried shrimp and gently bitter nuts balance umami-rich shrimp paste. Lara is a really thoughtful cook — as anyone who has read her 'Coconut and Sambal' and 'A Splash of Soy' cookbooks knows — so her recipe is full of tips and tricks for anyone needing ingredient substitution and shortcut advice, like how to boost store-bought laksa paste with lemongrass, garlic and ginger. Featured Recipe View Recipe → This laksa also scratches a particular cooking itch of mine: making something at home that I'd normally order at a restaurant. I'll bet that a lot of readers behind the five-star reviews for Hetty Lui McKinnon's sweet and sour cauliflower — which rejects deep-frying those florets for a cornstarch-coated roast in a hot oven — are also happy for a fast, meat-free version of a takeout staple. If you add Hetty's salt and pepper tofu, some sautéed baby bok choy and a pot of steamed rice, that's a pretty epic Saturday night feast. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
25-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Lara Lee's recipe for tom yum fried rice
A weeknight fried rice that's spicy, sour and intensely savoury. Using shop-bought paste and leftover cooked rice or microwave rice makes easy work of this dish based on the popular Thai soup. The paste sings of tom yum's flavours, with galangal, lemongrass, chilli and lime leaf, while the extra aromatics boost the fragrance and vibrant punch. Tom yum paste (I like Maesri's) and lime leaves are available at supermarkets, Asian grocers and online. Prep 20 minCook 25 minServes 2 Peanut oil, or other neutral oil2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped30g ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped3 makrut lime leaves, deveined and very thinly sliced10g coriander (ie, a small handful), leaves picked, stalks finely chopped2 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced2½ tbsp tom yum paste 2 tsp tomato paste 12 large peeled prawns, peeled but tails left on, and deveined (215g)80g brown or white mushrooms, sliced8 cherry tomatoes (100g), halved250g cooked and cooled jasmine rice, or 250g cooked and cooled microwave rice1½ tsp fish sauce 1 tsp sugar 1 lime, cut into wedges2 eggs Cucumber slices, to serveShop-bought fried shallots, to serve Put a tablespoon and a half of oil in a wok on a medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, coriander stalks and half the spring onions, and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add the tom yum and tomato pastes, and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the prawns and cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until just cooked through and coated in the paste. Using tongs, transfer the prawns to a plate, leaving the paste mix in the wok. Add the mushrooms to the wok and cook, tossing frequently, for a minute; add a small splash of extra oil, if need be. Add the tomatoes, cook for 30 seconds, then add the rice, fish sauce and sugar, and cook for another minute, until heated through. Return the prawns to the wok with the remaining spring onion, toss to combine, then take off the heat and squeeze over lime juice to taste – about a quarter to half a lime. Put a tablespoon of oil in a medium-sized frying pan on a medium-high heat, then, once it's shimmering, crack in the eggs and cook for two to three minutes, until the whites are partially cooked and the edges are turning crisp. Turn down the heat to medium-low and keep on the heat until the whites are cooked through. Divide the rice between two plates or shallow bowls, top with the prawn mix, a fried egg, the cucumber slices, fried onions, coriander leaves and remaining lime wedges, and serve. Lara Lee is the author of A Splash of Soy, published by Bloomsbury at £22. To support the Guardian, you can order a copy for £19.80 plus P&P at
The Guardian
19-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Lara Lee's fish finger and sriracha mayo sandwich
I love pantry-raid meals. Even when the fridge is shockingly bare, an enticing meal still sits at your fingertips, so long as you have the right ingredients to hand in your cupboards. This sriracha mayo twist on the fish finger sandwich is a 10/10 'pantry raider'. The Kewpie mayonnaise brings umami oomph, with the crunch of fish fingers, the tang of cornichons and the warmth of sriracha and chilli against soft, crustless bread. Warning: if there's any sriracha mayo left over, you may lick the bowl. Prep 10 minCook 20 minServes 2 10 fish fingers 4 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise1 tbsp sriracha Butter, softened, for spreading4 slices soft white sandwich bread 4 tender lettuce leaves 8 cornichons, thinly sliced1 long red chilli, thinly sliced (remove the pith and seeds if you want less heat)1 small handful coriander leaves Bake the fish fingers according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, combine the mayo and sriracha in a small bowl. Butter the bread and spread the sriracha mayo evenly over one side of each slice. Top two slices with lettuce, the cooked fish fingers, cornichon slices, chilli and coriander leaves, then sandwich together with the remaining two slices of bread. Taking care not to squish the sandwiches too much, trim off and discard the crusts, then cut in half and serve immediately. Lara Lee is the author of A Splash of Soy, published by Bloomsbury at £22. To order a copy for £19.80, visit
The Guardian
08-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Lara Lee's recipe for kimchi dauphinoise
This sweet potato and kimchi twist on dauphinoise is a traybake of mouthwatering umami. Parmesan, anchovies, kimchi, garlic, gochujang and sesame oil combine to create a 'wow' dish that is savoury, complex, rich and deliciously spiced. Serve as a showstopping side, or turn it into a main meal by adding a fried egg, pickles and a lightly dressed green salad. A mandoline helps slice the sweet potatoes evenly, but a steady hand will also do the trick. Prep 20 min Cook 1 hr 30 min, plus resting Serves 6 as a light meal, 8 as a side 20g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing70g parmesan, finely grated50g cheddar, coarsely grated 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin rounds about the width of a £1 coin (3-4mm)½ tsp fine sea salt 1 leek, root cut off and discarded, the rest thinly sliced6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced6 anchovies (8g), roughly chopped1 tbsp gochujang paste 250ml whole milk150ml double cream 400g kimchi, roughly chopped 20g panko breadcrumbs 1 tsp sesame or neutral oil 1 tsp sesame seeds (optional) Spring onions, thinly sliced Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7, and grease a 20cm x 30cm baking dish with butter. Combine the cheeses in a medium bowl. Put the sliced sweet potato in a large bowl and toss with the salt. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the leek and garlic, then saute, stirring occasionally, for seven to eight minutes, until softened. Add the anchovies and gochujang, stir to combine, then cook for a further minute. Add the milk and cream, and gently heat for a minute or two, just until the mixture is warmed through but hasn't reached a simmer. Take off the heat, stir in the kimchi and a third of the cheese mixture, then set aside. Meanwhile, make the topping by combining the panko, sesame oil and sesame seeds (if using) in a small bowl. Layer half the sweet potatoes in the greased baking dish, overlapping them as needed, then pour over half the kimchi mix and sprinkle with half the remaining cheese. Repeat the layers again, then sprinkle the panko crumb mix over the top. Bake for about an hour, until bubbling and a deep golden brown, then take out of the oven and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Garnish with the sliced spring onions, then serve. Lara Lee is the author of A Splash of Soy, published by Bloomsbury at £22. To order a copy for £19.80, visit
