Good shop-bought paste, a few fresh things, thirty minutes.
Proper laksa paste is a weekend project. This version uses a good shop-bought paste and a few fresh things to wake it up, and it's on the table in 30 minutes.
Fry two tablespoons of paste with a crushed stalk of lemongrass for two minutes, add 400 ml of coconut milk and the same of stock, and simmer for ten minutes.
Meanwhile soak rice noodles, slice a cucumber into matchsticks and halve a couple of boiled eggs. Prawns or tofu go into the broth for the last three minutes.
Finish with lime juice and a spoon of sambal on top. Don't skip the lime; it makes the whole thing.
