Dinner with Rukmini
Browse all of the recipes in Rukmini Iyer’s cookbooks by ingredient.
Butternut Squash Laksa
This vegan version of a laksa promises the same deeply flavourful coconut-based broth topped with wedges of butternut squash. It's just as tasty, if not even better, the next day for lunch.
Introduction
This is a wonderful light meal with plenty of punchy flavours – and it’s even nicer the next day for envy-inducing lunchboxes. You can make up larger batches of laksa paste and freeze or refrigerate for future use if you wish.
Ingredients
| For the paste: | |
|---|---|
| 2 | banana shallots |
| 2 inches | ginger, peeled |
| 2 cloves | garlic, peeled |
| 1 inch | turmeric, peeled (or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric) |
| 1 stick | lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, then roughly chopped |
| 2 | fresh red chillies |
| 1 tsp | coriander seeds |
| 1 tbsp | neutral or olive oil |
| 500g | butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 ½cm wedges |
| 500ml | boiling vegetable stock (gluten-free, if required) |
| 1 x 400ml tin | coconut milk |
| 1 tbsp | soft light brown sugar |
| 15g | fresh coriander |
| 15g | fresh mint |
| 1 | courgette, grated |
| 200g | rice vermicelli noodles |
| 1 tbsp | soy sauce (gluten-free, if required, or tamari), plus extra as needed |
| 2 | limes, zest and juice, plus extra as needed |
| 1 | red chilli, thinly sliced |
Method
First, make the paste. Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blitz to a thick paste – use a little of the coconut milk to help blend the paste if needed.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then stir-fry the laksa paste for 4–5 minutes until aromatic.
Add the squash, vegetable stock, coconut milk, sugar, half the coriander and mint, then simmer for 15–18 minutes until the squash is just softened.
Once the squash is cooked, add the grated courgette to the pan along with the rice noodles and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and lime zest and juice, then taste and adjust both as needed. Serve two portions hot, topped with half the remaining mint, coriander and sliced chilli. Divide the rest between two lunchboxes with the remaining herbs and chilli.
NOTE: Increase the amount of stock if you’re looking for a lighter consistency.
Reviews
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