It seems we have started gently leaving the blistering heat of summer behind us and are slowly migrating into the autumn months. Durban autumns are not as harsh as the fall in the Northern hemisphere yet the craving for comfort food still becomes ever-present without the need for the heaviness of wintery dishes. Former Group Pastry Chef for celebrity chef Bill Granger\u2019s Granger & Co restaurants across London, Isla Rechner, is back in Kloof and cooking up a storm. She shares the recipes to one of her favourite dishes, a Malaysian Laksa.<\/p>\n
‘Meat-centric dinners are something many households are moving away from. A Malaysian laksa is always my go-to for a quick and satisfying midweek dish. This dish is 98% vegetarian but the addition of fish sauce to balance out the saltiness makes it more Pescatarian. If you would like to make it purely vegan\/vegetarian replace the fish sauce with salt to taste.<\/p>\n
Butternut and Spinach Laksa<\/strong><\/p>\n Serves 4<\/p>\n Laksa paste<\/strong><\/em> Method<\/strong><\/em> It seems we have started gently leaving the blistering heat of summer behind us and are slowly migrating into the autumn months. Durban autumns are not as harsh as the fall in the Northern hemisphere yet the craving for comfort food still becomes ever-present without the need for the heaviness of wintery dishes. Former Group […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2060],"tags":[2608,2063,534,64,2057,2059,3943,3942],"class_list":{"0":"post-14525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food-wine","8":"tag-bill-granger","9":"tag-chef","10":"tag-dinner","11":"tag-food","12":"tag-granger-co","13":"tag-isla-rechner","14":"tag-lunch","15":"tag-malaysian-laksa"},"yoast_head":"\n
\n1 small onion, diced
\n4 garlic cloves
\n2 lemon grass stalks, outer stalks removed and chopped
\n30g fresh ginger, chopped
\n10g fresh coriander stalks
\nZest and juice of 1 lime
\n30ml grapeseed oil
\n5ml water
\n8g chilli flakes
\n4g ground turmeric
\n4g coriander seeds, roasted and crushed
\n6g cumin seeds, roasted and crushed
\n4g ground paprika
\n750ml vegetable stock
\n1 400ml tin coconut milk
\n1 tablespoon brown sugar
\n1 tablespoon fish sauce (or salt to taste)
\nJuice of 1 lime
\n500g butternut, chopped into big chunks and roasted
\n200g Swiss chard
\n200g rice vermicelli noodles
\nGarnish
\nSliced fresh red chillies
\nSliced spring onions
\nPicked Coriander<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
\n\u2022 Toss butternut in a bit of oil and seasoning, roast until cooked through
\n\u2022 Then get on to making your laksa paste. Using a food processor or a blender, place all laksa paste ingredients and blend until smooth.
\n\u2022 Place a medium-sized pot on the heat. Add a little oil and add the laksa paste
\n\u2022 Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until wonderfully fragrant.
\n\u2022 Add vegetable stock, followed by coconut milk, brown sugar and fish sauce
\n\u2022 Taste and adjust accordingly to your palate
\n\u2022 Finish off with the juice of one lime
\n\u2022 Place vermicelli noodles in a large bowl and pour boiling hot water over them. Leave for two minutes, then strain.
\n\u2022 In a frying pan, wilt down Swiss chard
\n\u2022 Now onto your plating. Take out four bowls, divide vermicelli noodles, swiss chard and butternut equally. Ladle broth over and garnish with spring onions, chillies and coriander<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"