Name: Duck & coconut laksa with grilled sweetcorn, soba noodles, squid & coriander
Yield: For 4-6
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 30 ml (2 Tbsp) fish sauce; a small handful each of Thai basil and coriander; 400 ml unsweetened coconut milk or coconut cream; 2 Tbsp palm sugar; 100 g squid, cleaned, the heads cut into rings, the legs separated; 4 lime leaves (or use the peel and juice of 1 lime); 4 shallots, peeled and sliced; 1 corn cob, cut in half; 100 g soba noodles; 1-2 Tbsp curry paste (to taste); ½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns (optional - but they add a real zing to this); 1 heaped Tbsp tamarind paste (you can also use the paste that’s full of fibre and seeds that usually comes in a block, you’ll just have to pick out the chunky bits as you eat it); 2 tsp garam masala or other spice mix (see my garam masala recipe); 10 ml (2 tsp) vegetable oil; 1 thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated; crispy shallots to garnish; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced; 1 duck breast, skin scored with a sharp knife to give many ridges

Preparation info

For
4-6

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Fusion

By Peter Gordon

Published 2010

About

Laksa is a Peranakan dish (a fusion of Malay and Chinese cultures) originating in Malaysia, although Singapore and (less common but equally delicious) Thailand make wonderful versions as well. I first came across laksa when I was hitch-hiking around South-East Asia in 1986 and what I loved about it, and its ‘cousin’ bakso from Indonesia, was that there was always a wee tweak here and there depending on the cook making it. In Penang it was an aromatic dark sweet and sour broth served