Seafood Laksa

Cooked up this gem a little while back. Yes laksa paste is easily attainable and does a pretty damn good job, but making it fresh doesn't take much longer, is delicious, and very satisfying :D

Seafood Laksa 
serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon palm or brown sugar
1x 400mL can coconut milk
1L fish or chicken stock
Vietnamese mint?
1kg seafood (eg. mussels, clams, prawns, squid)
1 bunch Asian greens (eg. bok choy), roughly chopped
300g other vegetables (eg. baby corn, broccoli, mushrooms)
1 can bamboo shoots, drained (or those nuts?!)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
fresh coriander, roughly chopped, to serve
lime wedges, to serve
rice noodles, cooked & set aside, to serve

Paste
2x 4cm sticks lemongrass, very finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger or galangal
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 small red chillies, deseeded & finely chopped
1 teaspoon shrimp paste or 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
grated rind from 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground tumeric 
1/2 bunch coriander stems 

Combine all paste ingredients together in a processor or mortar and pestle and pound or blend until a fine paste is formed.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add paste and fry for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, sugar, stock and mint and bring to the boil, stirring. When mixture reaches the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add seafood and vegetables and cook, covered, until seafood is just cooked through. Stir in fish sauce.

Divide noodles amongst bowls. Ladle over laksa and serve with lime wedges, coriander and extra chilli. 

Freeeeesh!