Spicy Prawn & Vegetable Noodle Soup

This is an adaptation of a recipe that I have posted before here but there are enough subtle changes, and the original was posted long enough ago, that I thought it worth posting.

Again I have used a fish stock cube but if you are able to get raw prawns in their shells then make the shells from the prawns to make your own stock (it is a very light stock anyway) or even just use chicken or vegetable stock.

The beauty of this - and other similar soups or broths - is that the world is your oyster really when it comes to what vegetables you add. You can use as many or few as you like and really ring the changes to make it a different proposition each time.

Whatever you go for it will be delicious I am sure.


Spicy Prawn & Vegetable Noodle Soup
serves 2

2 tsp of sesame oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled & finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, cut in half and crushed (whack with a rolling pin)
2 birds eye chillies, deseeded, deveined and cut into slivers
700ml weak fish stock (ie use half the amount of stock to water that the instructions suggest)
1 tsp of chilli sauce, Linghams or Sriracha if you have it
1 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of fish sauce
175g raw prawns
65g babycorn, quartered lengthways
50g mangetout, cut into thin lengths on the diagonal
6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1-2 nests of dried noodles (about 75g)
juice of 1 lime and rind of ½
1 spring onion, finely sliced into 3cm lengths
small handful coriander, chopped

Gently heat the sesame oil in a large saucepan then add the garlic, ginger, onions, lemongrass and most of the chillies. Sauté gently for about 5 minutes without letting the contents colour.

Add the stock and bring to the boil, then add the chilli, soy & fish sauces. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the babycorn, mangetout and mushrooms and simmer for a few minutes more, then gently add the noodles and prawns and simmer until the prawns and noodles are cooked (about four minutes).

Finally, stir in the the lime juice and the grated rind. Spoon into large bowls and sprinkle over with the chopped coriander, shredded spring onion and the rest of the chilli slivers.