Tofu Coconut Laksa

Directions

1. Place the onion, garlic, ginger, red chilli and oil in a food processor. Take the white end of the lemon grass stalks (around 5cm) and chop thinly. Save the rest of the stalks for later. Add the chopped lemongrass to the food processor and blend until it forms a smooth paste.
2. Pop a large heavy-bottomed pot over a low heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the paste and fry over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid it sticking to the bottom. Half way through, add the ground turmeric, cumin and cayenne pepper. Continue to stir until fragrant and reducing down.
3. Once it has started to reduce down, pour in the coconut water and stir in a pinch of salt. Remove the outer leaves from the lemongrass stalks, and place the remaining in the pot. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, drain the tofu well, pat dry with a towel, and chop into 6 thick slices. Place in a shallow bowl, drizzle with soy sauce, and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
5. To prepare the vegetables, rinse, before chopping off the bottom end of the broccoli stalks, and tearing the whole leaves off the pack choi. Slice the bottom of the pak choi into rounds.
6. Once the liquid has been simmering for 20 minutes, carefully remove the lemongrass pieces, and discard. Stir through the coconut cream, and add the broccoli, pak choi, shiitake mushrooms, and noodles. Allow to simmer on low for another 5-7 minutes, before squeezing in the lime juice and adding a teaspoon of sugar, stirring well.
7. Meanwhile, pop a frying pan over a medium heat, and drizzle over some olive oil. Fry the tofu for 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
8. Divide the laksa equally into two bowls, topped with the tofu, a handful of beansprouts, and some coriander. Sprinkle with some sliced red chillies, if desired.