Spring Laksa w/ Chickpeas & Thai Basil

This is a super-speedy recipe that rewards a certain amount of haste. The worst thing you can do is to overcook the broccoli, baby corn and peas - you want them just cooked, still with that tasty fresh snap. So, it’s a good idea to make sure you have everything chopped up and ready before you start.

Once summer arrives, you can easily adapt this recipe to incorporate even more fresh seasonal ingredients too. As well as the tomatoes and basil, you could try adding sliced zucchini, summer squash, even eggplant (grill it until it goes deliciously soft, then chop it up and chuck it in right at the end).

Spring Laksa w/ Chickpeas & Thai Basil

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 red onion, cut into wedges

2 tsp olive oil

2 Tbsp lemongrass, finely diced

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1⁄2 tsp turmeric

3 tsp tamari

3 cloves garlic finely diced

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 can of chickpeas (400g), drained

1 1⁄2 tsp brown sugar

1⁄4 tsp salt

1 cup coconut cream

2 cups of water

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lime

1 1⁄2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 1⁄2 cups of broccoli cut into florets

1 cup of baby corn

1 head of bok choy

1⁄2 cup of sugar snap peas (ends trimmed)

1⁄2 cup Thai basil, roughly chopped

Note: If you can’t find Thai basil, use regular basil or coriander.

Method

In a medium saucepan, fry the onion with the olive oil, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, tamari, garlic and chilli flakes. Fry until the onion becomes translucent and starts to brown.

Add the chickpeas, brown sugar and salt and fry for a few more minutes, then add the coconut cream, water, lemon and lime juices, and the cherry tomatoes.

Cook until you see the cherry tomatoes start to soften a little (about 10-15 minutes), then add the broccoli. About 2-3 minutes later, add the bok choy and baby corn.

When the baby corn is just tender, add the sugar snap peas and half of the Thai basil (around 1⁄4 cup) and cook for another 30 seconds. Taste, and add a little more salt if needed, then serve immediately in two big bowls with the remaining Thai basil and extra chilli flakes on top.

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