Quick Prawn Tom Yum Noodles

• 300 graw king prawns, peeled, deveined
• 150 grice vermicelli noodles
• 800 mlchicken or prawn stock
• 2 tbsptom yum paste
• 1 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbsplime juice
• 1 tspsoft brown sugar
• 150 gchestnut mushrooms, sliced
• 2lemongrass stalks, bruised
• 3kaffir lime leaves
• 3spring onions, sliced
• 1red chilli, sliced
• 15 gcoriander, leaves picked
• 1lime, cut into wedges
• Fine salt and black pepper

Method

1. 1Soak the rice vermicelli in a bowl of just-boiled water for 4–5 minutes until tender and pliable, then drain well and divide between two deep bowls. They'll finish cooking in the hot broth, so pull them while they still have a little bite.
2. 2Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bruised lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and tom yum paste and simmer for 5 minutes until the kitchen smells unmistakably of citrus and chilli.
3. 3Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes until they soften and start to drink up the broth, darkening as they go.
4. 4Slide in the prawns and simmer for 2–3 minutes, just until they curl into loose Cs and turn pink the whole way through. Any longer and they tighten into rubber.
5. 5Fish out and discard the lemongrass stalks and lime leaves. Season the broth with the fish sauce, brown sugar and lime juice, stirring the lime juice in off the heat so the acid stays bright. Taste; it should land hot, sour, salty and faintly sweet, all four corners pulling against each other. Most of the salt comes from the fish sauce and paste, but adjust with a pinch more salt or another splash of lime until it sings. Taste again before you ladle.
6. 6Ladle the broth, prawns and mushrooms generously over the noodles. Scatter the spring onions, red chilli and coriander leaves over the top, tuck a lime wedge into the side of each bowl, and bring straight to the table while the steam is still rising.

Per serving

kcal

505

protein

45.4g

fibre

3.9g

carbs

76.1g

fat

2.7g