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The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Chelsea Goodwin's cheap and easy weeknight laksa
This stripped-back vegetarian laksa is very customisable. You can make the broth mild or as spicy as you can handle. For a mild option, reduce the curry paste to one tablespoon; if you're seeking heat increase it to three. For a meat option, you can add steamed dumplings, cooked prawns or leftover shredded chicken. To make it vegan, omit the eggs and check your curry paste. Maesri red curry paste is vegan but not all Thai pastes are. You can also increase the variety of vegetables by adding any leftover broccoli, beans, snow peas or bean shoots you have in the fridge. Finally, to make the dish gluten-free, use rice noodles and gluten-free soy sauce. Serves 4 For the laksa2 cloves garlic2 tsp fresh ginger2 bunches baby bok choy 500g fried tofu puffs Green onions (dark part)4 eggs1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp Maesri red curry paste 400ml tin coconut milk 4 cups (1 litre) vegetable stock 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar300g dried rice or wheat noodles1 tbsp lime juice ToppingsCoriander leaves, washed and chopped1 red chilli, sliced (optional) To prep, crush the garlic and grate the ginger. Halve the bok choy lengthways, then wash to remove grit. Halve the tofu puffs and thinly slice the green onions. To soft-boil the eggs, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Turn down the heat to medium-low, gently lower the eggs into the water and set a timer for six minutes. While the eggs cook, prepare a bowl of iced water. When the timer goes off, immediately remove the eggs from the pan and leave in the iced water. Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry paste, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the coconut milk, stock, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer. Add the tofu puffs, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for five minutes to develop the flavours. While the laksa cooks, prepare the noodles, following packet directions, then drain and set aside. Peel and halve the eggs. Add the bok choy to the laksa broth then cook for three to four minutes, until the stems are just tender. Spoon the noodles and bok choy into four bowls. Stir the lime juice into the broth, then ladle laksa into the bowls, sharing the tofu puffs evenly among them. Top each bowl with two egg halves, sliced green onions, coriander leaves and sliced chilli if using. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. This is an edited extract from Money-Saving Meal Plans with Chelsea by Chelsea Goodwin, photography by Melissa Darr (Penguin, A$36.99)
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
