#15 Malaysian Laksa-style soup with Chicken and Tofu

A very rich and tasty soup, very easy to make too, although preparing the tofu takes some time.
It's a soup that can be served with various poultry and shrimps, but I was sticking to chicken.



Serves 4

for the paste:
1 medium onion chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
3 red chillies
1 tbsp grated ginger (or ginger puree)
1 tbsp ground almonds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp tamarind water

2 tbsp oil (live oil) for frying

for the soup

3 skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets - diced
400 gr Chinese tofu - diced in cubes and fried in vegetable oil

1.2 ml vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
200 ml coconut milk
100 gr bean sprouts
2 hard-boiled eggs

175 gr rice noodles

to garnish:

fresh basil leaves chopped
spring onions
(optional: deep fried onion)

Method:

Blend the paste ingredients and fry in the olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
Add the chicken and rub in the spices for 3-4 minutes. Add the boiling vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and add half the coconut milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for more 5 minutes.
In the mean time fry the tofu, be careful no to break its form.

At the end add the other half of the coconut milk to the soup and simmer for more 2 minutes. Add the bean sprouts at the end and set aside.

Cook the rice noodles in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then rinse them well under cold water.

In a bowl place the rice noodles and ladle the hot soup. Garnish with the tofu and hard-boiled eggs, basil leaves and onions.

*The recipe is based on the Laksa leman recipe from CURRY Fragrant dishes from India, Malaysia and Indonesia, published in 2006