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King Prawn & Smoked Eggplant Laksa with Chilli Oil

On a cold and indecisive evening, this dish was born – a kinda hybrid between a Thai Laksa and Green Curry that starts with a killer paste made from scratch, pimped out with smokey slow-roasted eggplant, succulent king prawns and plenty of veg. Serve it up with some vermicelli noodles for adequate slurpage and a drizzle of chilli oil for that little extra kick. It’s full of flavour, character and antioxidants to support your gut health and immune system heading into the cooler months.

Trust me when I say, making your own laksa paste is absolutely worth it! This recipe will give you plenty leftover to store in the fridge for up to a week, or alternatively freeze into individual portions for your next curry-in-a-hurry.

Lunch

Dinner

A Little Longer

Serves 3-4

Prep Time 15 Mins

Cook Time 40 Mins

Ingredients

Method

1 medium eggplant
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, finely sliced
400ml full fat coconut milk
500ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons tamari
2 tsp coconut sugar
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 carrot, finely sliced
1 cup snap peas
1 green capsicum, cut into strips
10g fresh coriander, finely chopped
5 spring onions, finely sliced
5g Thai basil leaves
2 cups Chinese broccoli (or other asian greens), roughly chopped
500g king prawns, peeled and deveined

Green Laksa Paste

2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons salt
2 cm piece fresh turmeric, peeled and finely sliced
5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 stalk fresh lemongrass (30 grams), peeled and roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled
½ tsp lime zest
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
5 kaffir lime leaves
Handful of Thai basil leaves
10g fresh coriander leaves/root/stems, chopped
1 tablespoon dried shrimp paste
250 grams long, mild green chillies
1-3 hot birdseye chillies (adjust to use more or less, to taste)
1 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tablespoons cold water

To Serve

Crunchy chilli oil
Vermicelli rice noodles

Method

1
Gently prick the exterior of the eggplant with a fork. Turn your gas burner on a low-medium heat and place eggplant on the rack over the open flame. Roast the eggplant for about 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so using a pair of tongs until the skin is burnt and starting to collapse. (Pay close attention). Remove and transfer to bowl. Cover with cling film and allow to continuing steaming for 10 minutes until the flesh is soft. Uncover and gently tear the eggplant into chunks, removing some of the burnt skin. Set aside.
2
Lightly toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and salt over low heat, until fragrant (around 1 minute).
3
Grind the spices to a powder using a high powered food processor.
4
Add the remaining ingredients and blend to a fine paste.
5
Heat a large pot over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and shallots and cook until they begin to soften. Add 3 heaped tablespoons of the laksa paste and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir in the coconut milk, followed by the chicken stock, fish sauce, tamari, coconut sugar and the lime juice and zest. Bring up to a high simmer, then add the carrot, snap peas and capsicum. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for about 12 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
6
Add the coriander, spring onion, Thai basil and Chinese greens. When they are almost wilted, add the prawns and eggplant. Cover and simmer for 60 seconds. Turn off the heat, uncover and allow to stand for 2 minutes.
7
Add some vermicelli to each bowl and generously ladle over the laksa. Finish with a drizzle of chilli oil and any extra herbs.