Seafood Laksa

Seafood Laksa
Elizabeth Zeschin
Provided by:
total prep
Good bowl food is always a treat and in this dish you have some lovely flavors with a little kick. Monkfish is the perfect slow cooker fish as it stays intact.

Recipe courtesy of Slow Cooking by Antony Worrall Thompson/ Mitchell Beazley, 2012.

Ingredients

  • Peanut oil, for cooking
  • 8 small squid, cleaned and cut into 2-in pieces
  • 1 lb monkfish fillet, skinned and cut into 2-in chunks
  • Juice of 1 large lemon
  • 2 medium-hot red chillies, halved and deseeded
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2in piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground toasted coriander seeds
  • Small bunch of cilantro (including roots)
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 2 1/2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 cups fish or vegetable stock
  • 12 raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 3 cups sugar snap peas
  • 2 bok choy, halved
  • 7 oz dried vermicelli
  • 1/4 cup Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
  • Handful mint and basil leaves
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

  • Heat a griddle pan to very hot, brush with a little groundnut oil and then cook the squid for 30 to 45 seconds on each side until golden. Place on a plate and leave to cool.
  • Add the monkfish to the griddle and brown all over. Squeeze over the lemon juice and set aside with the squid.
  • Heat a large frying pan. Place the chillies in a food processor with the garlic, ginger, ground coriander seeds, cilantro and sesame oil, then blend to a coarse paste. Add this laksa paste to the heated pan and stir-fry for 1 minute, then pour in the coconut milk and stock and bring to the boil. Spoon into your slow cooker with the squid and the monkfish, then cover and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Add the prawns, sugar snaps and bok choy, and cook, uncovered, on high for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, place the vermicelli in a large saucepan of boiling salted water and then immediately remove from the heat. Set aside for 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the manufacturer’s instructions, then drain and refresh under cold running water. Set aside.
  • Add the fish sauce to the slow cooker pot with half the herbs and stir gently for a few seconds.
  • Divide the cooked vermicelli between the serving bowls and ladle the seafood laksa on top, then sprinkle over the remaining mint and basil 
leaves and the scallions. Serve piping hot.

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