Chicken laksa soup recipe

Completely random topic switch again but in a bout of homesickness the other day I realised that what I really wanted was a good spicy chicken laksa, or at least a good approximation thereof. I was also hoping it would tempt the beloved into eating something more than toast in the evening! Since laksa is basically unheard of here and I didn't have time to make something from scratch, I used what I had on hand to approximate and it was bloody good! Recipe as follows:

Chicken Laksa

2-3 spoons of laksa paste or improvise with Tom Kah/Red Curry etc

Floaty things to make the broth taste even better ie. sliced chili, lemongrass stalks, ginger slices, kaffir lime leaf

1can coconut milk (get the one with the least added ingredients)

1 cup stock...chicken or fish

1 chicken breast cut crossways into thin slices

A dash of soy if your pastes aren't too salty

A good tablespoon of sugar to keep the hot/salty/sour balanced

Heat tolerant vegies such as bamboo and corn spear

Greens such as brocollini and sugar snap peas

Half a lime

Cooked noodles of your choice

Bean sprouts, coriander (cilantro), Vietnamese mint and shredded spring onion finish

Warm the paste in a large wok, add the coconut milk, stock and floaty things and stir well to mix the paste evenly. Once the soup is bubbling add the chicken, stir,  then add the bamboo/corn etc (not the greens) and season with the sugar and soy as required. Once the chicken is cooked, pile the noodles in large bowls and top with bean sprouts, coriander leaves, Vietnamese mint and finely sliced spring onion. Add the greens and the lime juice to the soup and ladle over the noodles almost immediately to make sure the greens are still a little crunchy. And that's all there is to it! Switching the chicken to prawns is even better, but not so good for Josie!