Butternut squash and tamarind laksa with smoked tofu
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Anna Hansen's butternut squash laksa recipe is a beautiful example of this Malaysian classic, with punchy sweet and sour tamarind and a superbly aromatic laksa paste bringing complex, heady flavour to this noodle soup. The Vitamix blends all of the laksa paste ingredients effortlessly for a smooth, consistent finish. You can freeze any leftover paste spread between sheets of greaseproof paper for easy use in future dishes.
First published in 2017
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Laksa paste (this will make more than you need, but the paste freezes well)
- 3g of coriander seeds
- 3g of cumin seeds
- 3 star anise
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 25g of green chillies, chopped
- 40g of garlic, chopped
- 65g of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 60g of galangal, peeled and chopped
- 3 lemongrass stalks, tough outer layer removed and finely sliced
- 6 lime leaves, tough stem removed and chopped
- 1 bunch of coriander
- 150ml of vegetable oil
Laksa
- 80ml of coconut oil
- 3 star anise
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 red onion
- 1 red chilli, split lengthways
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, bashed and finely sliced
- 1 handful of lime leaves
- 100g of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 50g of turmeric, peeled and chopped
- 1 bunch of coriander, stalks chopped and leaves reserved
- 125g of tamarind paste
- 30g of palm sugar, grated
- 40ml of fish sauce
- 400ml of coconut milk
- 3 limes, juiced
To serve
- 300g of butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 200g of soba noodles
- 300g of smoked tofu, (or one packet), diced to 1cm cubes
- 1 bunch of spring onions, green parts finely sliced, white parts shredded and crisped up in iced water
- 1/2 bunch of mint, leaves picked
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Vitamix Pro750 fitted with 2.0l low profile container
Method
1
Begin by making the laksa paste. Lightly toast and finely grind the spices
- 3g of coriander seeds
- 3g of cumin seeds
- 3 star anise
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
2
Place the ground spices in the Vitamix with the remaining ingredients, select Variable 1 and then gradually increase to Variable 8, using the tamper to push the ingredients down into the blade. Let it run for 1 minute then turn the machine off. Scrape the laksa paste out into a container and weigh out 125g for this recipe. You can freeze the remaining laksa paste by spreading it between sheets of greaseproof paper
- 25g of green chillies, chopped
- 40g of garlic, chopped
- 65g of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 60g of galangal, peeled and chopped
- 3 lemongrass stalks, tough outer layer removed and finely sliced
- 6 lime leaves, tough stem removed and chopped
- 1 bunch of coriander
- 150ml of vegetable oil
3
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4
4
Peel and chop the butternut squash. Roast for 20 minutes or so until cooked through and beginning to caramelise
- 300g of butternut squash, peeled and cubed
5
To make the laksa, heat the coconut oil in a large pan over a moderately high heat and add the laksa paste, spices, onion, chilli and garlic. Fry until soft, fragrant and beginning to caramelise
- 80ml of coconut oil
- 3 star anise
- 1 tbsp of coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 red onion
- 1 red chilli, split lengthways
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
6
Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, turmeric and coriander stalks and continue to fry for a further 5 minutes
- 4 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, bashed and finely sliced
- 1 handful of lime leaves
- 100g of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 50g of turmeric, peeled and chopped
- 1 bunch of coriander, stalks chopped and leaves reserved
7
Now add the tamarind, palm sugar and fish sauce. Cook until the palm sugar has dissolved then add the coconut milk. Cover with vegetable stock or water, gently simmer for 15 minutes then take off the heat and allow to cool. Remove the whole star anise and cinnamon stick and discard
- 125g of tamarind paste
- 30g of palm sugar, grated
- 40ml of fish sauce
- 400ml of coconut milk
8
Once cool enough to handle, blend in the Vitamix on Variable 8 until smooth. Add the lime juice and check the seasoning, adding more lime juice or fish sauce to taste
- 3 limes, juiced
9
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil, add the noodles and bring back to a rapid simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes until al dente, but keep an eye on them as the pan can easily boil over. Refresh under cold water
- 200g of soba noodles
10
To serve, divide the noodles between 6 bowls. Pour over piping hot laksa and then scatter on top the roast butternut squash, smoked tofu, herbs, chilli, spring onions and a wedge of lime on the side. Serve immediately
First published in 2017
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