PUMPKIN AND TOMATO LAKSA

Laksa laksa.....What/how is your version? For the Penang( a small state in the northern part of Malaysia) people laksa means a bowl of white noodles served in spicy sour fish soup/broth garnish with cucumber, onions, mint leaves, pineapple and of course prawn paste.  This is asam laksa. Drooling? In Singapore when you ask for laksa they will give you a bowl of curry mee/noodles. So different place has different version of laksa. Today i am not going to share with you the recipe for asam laksa but another version of laksa without fish. It is called PUMPKIN AND TOMATO LAKSA. This recipe is from the cookbook "Best of the Best" the best recipes from the 25 best cookbooks of the year. Thanks to my girl for the recipe book.


 PUMPKIN AND TOMATO LAKSA

Ingredients

9 ounces of pumpkin
5 small red bird's eye chilies(i used big chilies)
4 cloves  garlic
1 lump of ginger.. size of your thumb
2 lemon grass
6 stalks of Cilantro + the root
6 lime leaves
13/4 cups of coconut milk
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
24 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp Nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1/2 lemon
Mint leaves
Noodles

Method

1. Cut the pumpkin into chunks and steam for 12 to15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Blend chilies,garlic,ginger,lemon grass, lime leaves and roots and stem of cilantro into a pulp.
3. Place a fairly deep pot over a moderate heat, add the  blended spice pulp and fry it,(without oil) moving it
    the pot so it does not scorch.Do this for a minute or two, then pour in the stock and coconut milk and
    bring to a boil.
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the soup with the nam pla and lemon juice. This will take
    7 to 10 minutes to cook.
5. Add the pumpkin and continue cooking for a minute or two.
6. Place a swirl of  cooked noodles in bowl and pour the laksa over and add the mint and the remaining
    cilantro.

     It is simple, right?

 cilantro

Cherry tomatoes

Drooling!!!

HAPPY COOKING AND ENJOY...

Note: If cooking for vegetarian diet omit the nam pla (Thai fish sauce)., but i think it will be less oomp.