Duck & coconut laksa with grilled sweetcorn, soba noodles, squid & coriander

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

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

Ingredients

Asia
Americas
Malaysia
Japan
Mexico
Southeast Asia
Soup

Ingredients

Method