I made this soup as a first course for a family lunch way back in November but only now just writing it up just because I’ve been so busy. The day job has been frantic and I’ve also recently set up a handcrafted jewellery business (check out   http://www.etsy.com/shop/ArrowskyDesigns).

This laksa soup was the first course in a vegan lunch (along with paella and upside down apple pudding) with the first two courses from Miguel Barclay’s Vegan One Pound Meals – one of my favourite cookery books at the moment. The soup is comforting, creamy and fragrant and as with all of Miguel Barclay’s recipes it’s dead easy and doesn’t need a huge range of ingredients.

I’ve just come back from spending Christmas at a vegan well being retreat in Spain. The food was amazing – too amazing really because I ate far too much. But it’s meant I’m inspired to cook even more plant based meals, only eating meat and fish on occasions.

Miguel Barclay provides quantities for one person making it easy to scale up as necessary. But the quantities here are for four people for a starter.

Happy New Year!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 2-3 pinches dried chilli flakes
• Sesame oil
• Half a white cabbage, shredded
• 2 carrots, cut thinly lengthways
• 4 spring onions, cut thinly lengthways
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• About 5 cms of fresh ginger, grated
• 400ml coconut oil
• 3-4 handfuls peanuts, crushed
• 1 lime
• Soy sauce
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Pan fry the tomato purée and chilli flakes in a splash of sesame oil for about one minute, then add the shredded cabbage and carrot, cooking for another couple of minutes.
2. Add the spring onion, garlic and ginger, season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables have softened.
3. Add the coconut milk (saving a little to drizzle over at the end) and simmer for about five minutes.
4. Pour into bowls, drizzle over the remaining coconut oil, a splash of sesame oil, soy sauce and peanuts and garnish with slices of lime.

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