2 small red chillis
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground
1/2 c fresh coriander leaves + roots
a thumb of fresh ginger or galangal, peeled
50 ml sesame oil
300 g salmon cut into chunks
juice of 1 lime
300 g prawns
800 ml fish stock
1.2 l coconut milk
50 ml fish sauce
200 g rice vermicelli noodles, soak 15 mins in warm water, 15 mins in boiling water, drain well
fresh mint leaves
3 spring onions, sliced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
lime cheeks
Blend first 6 ingredients in food processor to a coarse paste. Combine salmon and lime juice. Fry paste in a large saucepan until the flavours rise, add stock, coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer until tasty. Add salmon, prawns and noodles and serve straight away garnished with remaining ingredients.
Key to this is perfectly cooked noodles, warm when they are slipped into the soup. The noodles can be made ahead of time, but you need to arrest their cooking in cold water.
This is rich. ?Try less c milk, more stock?
