Gok Wan's Happiness Soup

Wednesday 3 April at 1:22pm

He’s a pro when it comes to making women look their best on the catwalk - but today, Gok is helping you feel good on the inside too.

He’s back in the kitchen with his own ‘big bowl of happiness’ - Vegetable Laksa Soup.

Ingredients

1 tsp rice bran oil or vegetable oil

3 cm fresh galangal, peeled and finely chopped, or 2tsp from a jar

2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 stalk of lemongrass, trimmed and finely chopped

2 fresh red chillies, split lengthways

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

2 kaffir lime leaves

2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped into 2cm chunks

200ml hot vegetable stock

1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk

200g vermicelli noodles, soaked according to the packet instructions

Fresh coriander to serve

Fried tofu cubes

8 raw king prawns, shelled

2 tsp fish sauce

Method

Heat the oil in a wok over a medium to high heat. When hot, add the galangal, ginger, garlic, lemon grass and chillies and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Sprinkle over the curry powder and turmeric, and continue to fry for 30 seconds before adding the lime leaves and tomatoes. Fry the mixture for 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes begin to break down.
Pour in the hot stock and the coconut milk. Give everything a stir, then bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
Add the salmon chunks and the prawns to the soup with the fish sauce. Simmer gently for about 2 minutes, until cooked through.
Divide the noodles between serving bowls, pour over the hot laksa and scatter with coriander leaves, if using.

Gok's coleslaw

Ingredients

3-4 medium carrots, washed and peeled

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon caster sugar

Method

Coarsely grate the carrots, red onion and cabbage and put them in a serving bowl.
Put your wok on a medium heat. When hot, add the sesame seeds and toast until golden. This will only take a couple of minutes - keep them moving in the wok so they don’t burn.
To make the dressing, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar and toasted sesame seeds, then pour the dressing over the carrot. Toss the salad with your hands so that each piece of carrot is coated in dressing.
The salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before serving.