This is exactly what I want to eat when I’m under the weather: a big bowl of Thai-inspired, soupy noodles with turmeric and coconut milk, all spiked with chilli. It’s a soup base that adapts perfectly for vegetarians (add cubed tofu) or leftovers (shredded roast chicken). This makes a lot of broth (hydration is important!), so serve it in your best ramen or soup bowls. The choice of noodles is yours: rice noodles (flat or vermicelli) work well for a gluten-free option, but I inevitably use my favourite straight-to-wok thick udon.
Cold lemongrass and coconut prawn noodles
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If you’re using tofu or leftover shredded cooked chicken, add it with the pak choi, so it simmers for four minutes in total.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Chill 2 hr+
Serves 2
2 tbsp neutral oil
150g fresh shiitake or chestnut mushrooms
1 tsp sea salt
400ml tin coconut milk
150g pack thick straight-to-wok udon noodles
2 heads pak choi, finely sliced
150g prawns, peeled and deveined
For the base
1 lemongrass stalk
2 spring onions, trimmed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 fat red chilli
4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled
1cm piece turmeric root, or ½ tsp ground turmeric
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
Finely grate all the base ingredients bar the lime juice; alternatively, roughly chop the lemongrass and spring onions, then put them in a blender with the other base ingredients (again, bar the lime juice) and blitz to a rough paste. (Do not, as I have done in the past, put a whole stick of lemongrass in the blender: the blender will break and you will be sad.)
Put the oil in a large saucepan on a medium to low heat, then add the chopped lemongrass-chilli-ginger paste and fry, stirring constantly, for three minutes. Add the mushrooms, fry, still stirring, for a further five minutes, then add the salt, coconut milk and 400ml of just-boiled water. Bring the broth to a boil, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cooled, chill for at least two hours. (Alternatively, for a hot version, once the broth is boiling, add the pak choi and simmer for two minutes. Taste the broth, adding salt as needed, then add the noodles and prawns, and simmer for two minutes, until they are cooked through.)
Just before you want to eat, bring a pan of salted water to a boil, then drop in the noodles and pak choi. Boil for a minute, then add the prawns and simmer for a further minute until they turn pink and are cooked through. Drain well, then rinse under the cold tap. Arrange the noodles, pak choi and prawns in bowls, then pour the cold broth all over the top. Season with the lime juice and serve.
