noodles rock

Is it this easy to be be back so quickly and so comfortably? Seriously don't bother with this recipe if you can get a piping hot bowl of noodles in soup locally, if you can't then all I can do is apologise. Food like this is what makes us

 

King prawn and scallop wonton soup

 

Serves 4

 

8 dried whole shiitake mushrooms

750ml just boiled water

2 tblsp ground nut oil

4 raw, large unpeeled king prawns

Small knob galangal or fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 5cm slices

4 kaffir lime leaves

2 banana shallots, peeled and sliced

1 red bird’s eye chilli, deseeded and sliced

2 garlic cloves peeled and sliced

Small handful fresh coriander roots, roughly chopped

500ml good vegetable or fresh chicken stock

50g glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli)

1-2 tsp nam pla (Thai fish sauce), to taste

2 small pak choi, trimmed, washed and leaves separated

Salt and ground white pepper

Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Wedges of fresh lime, to serve

 

For the wontons

2 fresh king scallops, shelled, washed, coral discarded and flesh finely diced

4 canned water chestnuts, drained, rinsed and finely diced

1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped

¼ tsp of tamari soy sauce

¼ tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tsp finely chopped fresh coriander

8 wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen

Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

A little lightly beaten egg white, to seal the wontons

 

Place the mushrooms in a large bowl and pour over the just-boiled water. Set aside for 30 minutes. Peel the prawns, leaving the tip of the tail intact, and remove the dark vein. Cut into large pieces or leave whole. Put the prawns in a bowl, cover and chill until required. Place the heads and shells in a large saucepan.

 

Pour the oil over and cook gently for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, stirring constantly. Do not allow to burn. Next, add the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, shallots and chilli. Cook with the prawn shells for 2-3 minutes over a medium heat before adding the garlic and coriander roots. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

 

Drain the soaked mushrooms in a sieve and add the liquid to the pan with the peeled prawns. Stir in the vegetable or chicken stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 15 minutes to release all the flavours. Put the noodles in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain once more. Slice the soaked shiitake mushrooms thickly, discarding any tough stalks.

 

To prepare the wontons, combine the scallops, chestnuts, spring onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, coriander and seasoning. Place a little of the mixture in the centre of one of the wonton wrappers and brush the edges with egg white. Bring the edges up together and pinch to seal. Put on a plate, cover with a clean, damp cloth and set aside. Continue making the wontons until all the mixture is used.

 

When the soup base is ready, strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat slightly. Add nam pla and seasoning to taste. Stir in the shiitake mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Next, add the pak choi, reserved noodles and prawns.

 

Carefully drop the wontons into the soup using a slotted spoon. Simmer together for about 3 minutes until the prawns are pink and cooked through and the wontons are tender and float to the surface. Ladle into four warmed bowls. Garnish with plenty of fresh coriander leaves and serve with wedges of lime for squeezing