Recipe | Leftover Laksa

This must be one of the simplest takes on the Malaysian noodle classic, but it’s no less scrumptious and soul warming. Even better, you can make it in minutes, using up leftovers as you do. The key here is getting your broth right as it creates the canvas – what you add to it from there is up to you.

SERVES 2-4

1 tbsp coconut oil (or use some of the cream from the coconut milk)
1 onion (or 6 spring onions or 2 leeks), thinly sliced
400g coconut milk 2-3 tbsp kimchi paste, to taste
500ml fish stock 1 tbsp fish sauce and/or tamari/soy sauce
100g vermicelli rice noodles, optional (you can just use more veg)
2 carrots, shaved into long ribbons using a veg peeler
A few cabbage leaves, rolled into a cigar-shape and shredded
A few spring onions, thinly sliced
A handful shiitake or seasonal mushrooms 1 lime, zest and juice
A handful of fresh herbs, micro herbs and/or sprouts (such as radish sprouts, bean sprouts)

1 Place a large pot over a medium heat and add the coconut oil or cream from your coconut milk (if using the latter, you might need a little extra). Swirl in the onion, spring onions or leeks, then reduce the heat and gently cook until tender and a little golden.

2 Add the rest of the coconut milk (or all of it, if you used coconut oil initially). Swirl in the kimchi paste (start with a small amount and add more if needed as you layer in the ingredients).

3 Allow the kimchi paste to cook into the coconut milk for 5 mins, then add the fish stock and fish sauce (tamari or soy)and simmer for a further 10 mins to develop the flavours.

4 As the stock base cooks, prepare your veg and cook your noodles in a separate pan, according to the instructions on the pack.

5 Once the stock has simmered for 10 mins, taste and add a little more kimchi paste if needed.

6 Pile in your prepared veg and noodles into bowls then pour the warm, spicy broth over the top. Finish with a grating of lime zest, a good spritz of lime juice, and a smattering of fresh herbs, micro herbs and/or bean sprouts

This is just one of the recipes from our regular Home Economics pages, reviving age-old wisdom about household management to help us value all our resources - our time, and also the ingredients and money we invest in them. In our April issue, Home Economics is all about the Hungry Gap - that time of year just before the new season harvests are ready - and features recipes by Rachel de Thample, including Roasted Trout with Lemon and Dill, Decadent Roast Potato Mash and Cider-Braised Cabbage Wedges, as well as this Leftover Laksa, fish stock and Fish Pie Jackets for your freezer and Kimchi for the pantry.

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More from our April issue…

More clever ways with leftovers…

How to | do Christmas leftovers better

Photography: Mowie Kay

If you’re about to embark on a week of turkey curry and risotto, stop. Hold our eggnog. We’ve got this. 

We don’t know about you, but much as we love a Christmas lunch, it’s the leftovers that get us really excited. A classic turkey and stuffing sandwich or two is a must, but there are plenty more ways to deal with The Rest of the Bird, and a hundred things to do with your other Christmas leftovers that don’t just involve bubble and squeak. Here are a few of The Simple Things staff’s favourites:

Turkey tonnato (enough for 4)

A tasty Italian lunch

Whizz 100g of mayo, a tin of tuna, the juice of half a lemon and a tbsp of capers together in a blender and set aside. It should be quite thin so it can be drizzled. You may need to loosen it with a little water. Slice enough turkey breast for 4 and lay on a plate. Drizzle over the tuna mayo sauce. Decorate the top with criss-crossed anchovies with little capers in between. Serve with rocket and crusty bread. 

Red cabbage pickle

Fancy up a cold lunch in a flash.

Toss leftover red cabbage with equal parts red wine vinegar and caster sugar. Add a good slug of salt. Cover tightly and leave in fridge for an hour. Serve on Scandi style open sandwiches with leftover smoked salmon, white meat or cheese. 

Nut roast falafel in pitta

A simple and delicious dinner for Boxing Day

Crumble leftover nut roast, then mix with a couple of tablespoons of hummus and some crumbled feta and season well. You can add chopped chill or other herbs if you wish. The amount of hummus and feta will depend on how much nut roast you have left but the mixture should be not too sticky and able to be formed into balls. Roll teaspoon sized lumps of the mix into balls. Pop on a baking tray and cook at 180 fan for approx 10 mins, until the falafels are golden. Serve with pitta, salad, tzatziki and any extras you like. 

Christmas pud truffles

Because all puddings should bring you joy at least twice

Break up and crumble  any leftover pud. Melt a few squares of dark chocolate in the microwave or on the hob. Stir into the crumbled pud and mix well. Add leftover Christmas booze if you wish. Roll the mixture into little bite-sized balls. Melt a little white chocolate and drizzle over the top to look like brandy cream. Put the truffles in the fridge to set. 

All the above recipes should be served with a glow of satisfaction at having used your leftovers well and not become thoroughly sick of the whole festive season. We were inspired to write this blog by the amazing Brussles Sprouts Christmas Tree pictured above. The recipe is from LEAF: Lettuce, Greens, Herbs, Weeds by Catherine Phipps, with photography by Mowie Kay (Quadrille) and we’ve printed the whole recipe in our December issue. One the shops are open again, pop out and buy it (or click on the link below to have it delivered to your door) you’ll find it on p94. You won’t find a better use for your leftover sprouts. 

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More from our December issue…

More festive fun…

Recipe: Soda ale bread

Still ploughing through the remains of your new-year bash? This loaf neatly absorbs those half-bottles of beer or cider you find hanging around after a party. The brew gives the bread a distinctive, deliciously yeasty character, great with soup or cheese

butter or oil, for greasing
350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
250g wholemeal flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp light brown sugar or honey
1 tsp salt
dash of rapeseed or olive oil
300ml buttermilk or thin yogurt
200ml beer or cider

1 Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200/425F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and dust with a little flour.
2 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Make a well in the middle and quickly stir in the oil, buttermilk or yoghurt and beer or cider with a knife, working just enough to bring the dough together into a rough ball. The quicker you work, the better the texture will be. If it seems dry, add a dash more beer or water – the dough should feel quite soft but not be too sticky.
3 With floured hands, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it very briefly – just enough to bring it together into a rough round, about 7cm high.
4 Transfer to a baking sheet, sprinkle generously with flour and use a sharp knife to cut a deep cross in the middle of the loaf.
5 Bake for 15 mins, then lower the oven setting to 200C/Fan 180/400F and bake the loaf for a further 20–25 mins, until it sounds hollow when tapped on the base. It’s best eaten warm, with plenty of butter, but it’s also good toasted the next day.

Recipe from Love Your Leftovers by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, photography by Simon Wheeler (Bloomsbury Publishing)
 

Read more:

From the January issue

Wisdom: Allegra McEvedy

Bread recipes

January's The Simple Things is out now - buy, download or subscribe.