Tofu laksa from The Tofu Cookbook by Becky Johnson

Ingredients

• 115 g/4 oz/2 cups beansprouts, rinsed
• 2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
• 50 g/2 oz crispy fried onions
• 115 g/4 oz deep-fried tofu
• 2–3 aubergines (eggplant), total weight about 675g/1½lb, trimmed
• 675 g/1½ lb peeled raw prawns (shrimp)
• 10 ml/2 tsp sugar
• 1 head Chinese leaves (Chinese cabbage), thinly sliced
• 90 ml/6 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 cm/½ in cube shrimp paste
• 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp mild curry powder
• a few curry leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 macadamia nuts or blanched almonds, chopped
• 3 lemon grass stalks, root trimmed
• prawn (shrimp) crackers, to serve
• 675 g/1½ lb mixed noodles (laksa, mee and behoon) or one type only
• 675 g/1½ lb small clams
• 115 g/4 oz shallots, finely chopped
• 900 ml/1½ pints/3¾ cups water
• 50 g/2 oz ikan bilis (dried anchovies)
• 2 × 400 ml/14 fl oz cans coconut milk