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Thai noodle broth

The Thai tradition of making a specially flavoured paste as a base for soups is a great way of dispersing flavours, but it’s also such a convenient method for entertaining, as the paste can be made beforehand and will keep for a week or two. I’ve used tiger prawns here, but you could use any prawns or chicken.

SERVES 3–4

75g (3oz) egg or rice noodles (optional)

1 × 400ml tin of coconut milk

450ml (16fl oz) chicken stock

250g (9fl oz) peeled raw tiger prawns

For the paste

1 bunch of coriander

1 lemongrass stalk (outer layer removed), roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)

2 tbsp caster sugar

½ red chilli, deseeded

To serve

½ red chilli, deseeded and sliced

Juice of 1 lime

A few splashes of fish sauce (nam pla)

1 Cook the egg or rice noodles (if using) following the instructions on the packet, then drain and rinse through with cold water. Drain again.

2 For the paste, remove the leaves from the coriander and chop 4 tablespoons of the leaves to serve. Set aside and put the stalks, together with the rest of the paste ingredients and 2 tablespoons of water, in a food processor. Whiz for 1–2 minutes or until smooth.

3 Pour into a large saucepan and cook for 1 minute on a medium heat, then add the coconut milk and stock and gently warm through for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and noodles (if using) and cook for a further 2 minutes.

4 To serve, stir in the chilli, chopped coriander leaves, lime juice and fish sauce, and pour into warmed bowls.

VARIATION

Thai chicken soup: Make the recipe as above, replacing the prawns with thin slices of raw chicken, adding the chicken 2 minutes before the noodles.