Soopa-Doopa Laksa
From: MAGGIE MORGAN, Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne's Victoria Market (open nearly every day) must be one of the best open-air markets in the world ! Every nation on earth converges there on the weekends. We love this Laksa for breakfast. But you need to cover yourself with a big tea-towel or suffer big orange splatts all over your front !!!

• 4 -5 cups veg stock
  
• 2 sliced onions
  
• 2 -3 carrots julienned
  
• 1 large potato cut in sliced moons (optional)
  
• pumpkin chunks
  
• ½ diced red capsicum (red pepper)
  
• chunks of eggplant
  
  
• green peas or snap peas
  
• a little chopped spinach or other dark green leafed veg.
  
  
• sesame oil to taste (1 tsp usually)
  
• chopped fresh coriander* or parsley (tastes best*)
  
• 1 -2 tbsp chunky peanut butter
  
• 1 -2 tsp red thai curry paste or sweet chilli sauce
  
• ½ tin coconut milk
  
  
• Udon (long, flat white RICE noodles)

In a litre saucepan poach the vegetables of your choice in the stock: onions, carrots, potato, pumpkin, capsicum, eggplant (especially yummy).
Add peas and spinach to soup last of all, so they stay a bit crisp.
Stir in the sesame oil, coriander, peanut butter, curry paste/ chilli sauce and coconut milk (WITHOUT BOILING), until you achieve the flavour you want.

Boil the udon / noodles in a pan until just soft, not soggy; then rinse in cold water before pouring into soup pot with all the vegetables.

TIP: Remove the pot from the heat and refrigerate if you don't eat it all at once. Microwave individual bowls, so that the veg and noodles don't get mushy.