I would like to share this simple curry paste recipe that works so well with pumpkin and coconut cream. I would not be so bold as to call it a laksa which must be made for you in the heat and bustle of a Malaysian street using exotic ingredients such as candlenuts and galangal. This is a temperate climate approximation that has beautiful salty-sour flavours balancing the heat of the chillies and the sweetness of the pumpkin. Lemongrass will not grow at our place so I have experimented using lemon leaves (but I have just bought a lemongrass plant from the lovely man with the herb stall near Waitapu Bridge that I will keep on our sunny deck over winter, fingers crossed it will thrive.)  It should be shallots not onion, but I don’t have any. I have used sunflower seeds to replace the traditional candlenut. They give a slightly nutty and grainy texture and body which I find pleasing. Winter here is the best time for both coriander (which doesn’t bolt like it does in summer) and limes, which are starting to ripen now. Instead of a garnish of crunchy mung bean sprouts I have roasted shards of deep green kale to give umami and crunch. This soup is not for a hot and sweaty night in Kuala Lumpur, but a quiet and frosty autumn evening in Golden Bay.

Curry paste

• 1 red chilli, more or less depending on the heat of your chillies
• 5 cm ginger, chopped roughly
• 2 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 10 mint leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 stalk lemon grass or 3 lemon leaves, torn from the centre rib and sliced finely

Place all the ingredients in the small bowl of a food processor, or in a small jug, and use a stick blender, with ½ cup of the coconut cream (below) to blitz until you have a paste. If you have small children or other heat intolerant folk you can use a red pepper for the colour and flavour instead of the huge quantities of chilli that would normally make it red, (or even paprika.)

Soup

• 800 g pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and cut into even-sized pieces
• 1 pack laksa paste or one quantity of homemade
• 4 kale leaves, ribs removed and broken into large pieces
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 400 ml coconut cream
• Noodles of your choice
• Lemon or lime to taste
• Garnishes: hard boiled egg, coriander, chopped peanuts

Fry the laksa paste in a saucepan until the aromas are released, then add the stock and coconut cream. Bring to the boil then add the pumpkin, reduce the heat and simmer until it is cooked. Taste and add lemon or lime juice and salt until the flavours are balanced.

Meanwhile turn the oven to a high heat. Lay the kale on a piece of baking paper on a tray, rub a little oil over the leaves and sprinkle with salt. Put in the oven and roast until crispy. Watch carefully, they burn quickly. Remove and reserve.

Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Divide them among four bowls. Spoon the laksa over the top and decorate with shards of crispy kale and any other garnishes you are using.

NOTE: You can add a sliced chicken breast towards the end, or a piece of fish if you want the protein, but it is perfectly flavoursome without.