All “Thaied” Up: an All-in-one Thai Laksa Meal

For the last three years I have volunteered to man the UK Thermomix stand at the BBC Good Food Show in London, previously called “MasterChef Live.” It’s thrilling to speak to all the people who want to learn more about my Best Friend in the Kitchen! I also get to do some foodie shopping and meet some of the MasterChef contestants – a little bit of celebrity spotting never hurt anyone 😉

While there, I have my lunch at The Restaurant Experience, where the pop-up restaurants are destined to thrill the taste buds of the attendees. I absolutely love the amazing tastes present in Thai food, so I always make a stop at the Blue Elephant pop-up. Whatever they serve, it tantalises my taste buds and introduces me to new flavours and combinations. So Yummy!

This year (2012) Blue Elephant gave out free samples of Tom Kha Paste with their dishes. My sample sat around in the kitchen until this weekend, when I was inspired to use it to make an all-in-one dinner in my Thermomix for ThermoHubby John and me. From the original Tom Kha Kai Menam Chicken Soup recipe that came with the sample, I created a versatile Laksa-like soup with noodles and either dim sum dumplings or meatballs. The taste was amazing and it was so very simple to make in my Thermomix! I made it in two versions: one using chicken stock and featuring steamed pork dumplings in rice paper wraps; and the other using fish stock and featuring steamed prawn balls. Oh my goodness it was absolutely gorgeous both ways. Stunning, really. And so fast and easy, I was even able to make it during a training session for new Thermomix demonstrators! It’s definitely something I will make again and again!

Madame Thermomix’s All-in-One Thai-style Meal
Based on a Laksa-style curried coconut milk soup, this all-in-one meal is not only easy, it’s ridiculously tasty, too! Serves four as a starter or two as a main course. As a bonus, this meal is gluten free and dairy free.

Ingredients
For the dumplings or meatballs
1 red chilli, stemmed and seeds removed
2 spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths
2.5 cm of ginger, cut into 2mm “coins” along the lines of the skin
300 g pork mince – or – 300 g peeled uncooked prawns
15 g coconut flour or corn flour (gf)
small rice paper disks, soaked between layers of clean wet tea towels (if making dumplings)
sesame oil for Varoma tray
For the soup
6 mushrooms
1 large shallot, peeled
2 red chillies, stemmed and seeds removed
1 x 400 g tin coconut milk
500 g chicken stock for pork version – or – 500 g fish stock for prawn version
2 Kaffir lime leaves
50 g Tom Kha paste – or – Thai green chilli paste
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
For the noodles:
½ packet chow mein noodles or rice noodles (gf)
To garnish:
Fresh coriander leaves
a handful of chopped unsalted peanuts
more lime juice

Method

1. Chop a handful of raw peanuts by briefly pressing the Turbo button a couple of times; tip out and set aside. Make the dumplings or meatballs by dropping the chilli, spring onions and ginger on the running blades of your Thermomix at Speed 6; turn off immediately. Scrape sides of TM bowl with spatula. Add coconut flour and pork mince or prawn and mix 10 seconds/Speed 4.
2. Brush a little sesame oil on the Varoma tray. Form prawn or pork balls by rolling small amounts of mixture in your hand, or create dumplings by placing small amounts of mixture in the centre of wet rice paper disks and twisting into a bundle. Place balls or dumplings on oiled Varoma tray and set aside.
3. Make the soup by dropping mushrooms, shallot and chillies on the running blades of your Thermomix at Speed 6; turn off immediately. Scrape sides of TM bowl with spatula. Add remaining soup ingredients. If required, top up liquid to the 1-Litre mark in TM bowl with water or more stock.
4. Place chow mein noodles* into internal steamer basket and set into TM bowl. Close and lock lid, place measuring cup in place, then wet the noodles in the internal steamer basket 8 seconds/Speed 6. Remove measuring cup and place Varoma steamer on lid. Cook Varoma setting/15 minutes/Speed 4 or until prawn or pork meatballs or dumplings are cooked through and noodles are soft. *If using rice noodles, they cook really quickly so add them in the internal steamer basket after 10 minutes. While cooking, ensure that the soup flows through the holes in the internal steamer basket by increasing speed if required. (If at the end of cooking time your chow mein noodles are not completely soft, simply tip them into the hot soup and stir with the TM spatula and let soften while you heat your serving bowls.)
5. To serve, place some noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Cover with soup and top with meatballs or dumplings. Garnish with reserved chopped peanuts, fresh coriander leaves and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Bon appétit !

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