Musa says: “Cooking prawns with the heads and shells on adds to the flavour of a dish. This type of noodle soup is famous in Southeast Asia, mainly as an afternoon snack between lunch and dinner. It is served in a large ceramic bowl, and is eaten with chopsticks and a spoon with chilli oil on the side. The broth stays cooking over a low heat all day to keep it warm. It is my favourite dish to cook when it is cold outside and I am craving a hot bowl of soup to help me warm up. I always have a batch of large frozen prawns in my freezer so that I have something easy to cook, and for this simple noodle dish I use ready-made chicken stock. Alternatively, you can use shelled and deveined prawns and add some shop-bought fish balls.”

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 100g/3½oz fine egg noodles
• 4 large raw king prawns, heads and shells on
• ½ tbsp vegetable oil
• 5cm/2in cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 700ml/24fl oz/2¾ cups chicken stock
• 100g/3½oz bean sprouts
• 50g/1¾oz baby spinach

For the seasoning:

• ½ tbsp chilli paste (I recommend sambal badjak)
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• ½ tsp ground white pepper

For the garnish:

• 1 spring onion, cut into thin strips and soaked
• in cold water until curled, then drained
• ½ red chilli, thinly sliced diagonally
• 1 tbsp chilli oil (optional)

Method

Cook the egg noodles in a pan of boiling water according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and divide between two serving bowls.

Place the prawns on a chopping board and, using a small, sharp knife, cut along the back of each prawn to remove the vein; this will also help the flesh of the prawn to absorb the flavours of the seasoning. Trim the legs and keep the whiskers for presentation.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, fry the cinnamon and star anise for 30 seconds, then stir in the onion and garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the seasoning ingredients, stir well and then add the prawns. Cook for 1 minute, then stir in the stock. Bring to the boil, and once the prawns have turned pink and curled up nicely, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowls with the noodles.

Continue to boil the broth over a low heat for 2 minutes and then turn off the heat. Pour the broth into the bowls, add the bean sprouts and spinach, then garnish with the spring onion, chilli and chilli oil, if using. Serve at once.

Musa says: “For this recipe, I prefer to make my own stock infused with Asian herbs instead of shop-bought stock cubes that mainly consist of Western herbs. This coconut-based soup is usually served as a starter in many Thai restaurants, but in Thailand itself it is served as a side dish, together with other main dishes, as the locals love to have all the dishes served at once. Galangal is the main ingredient, which gives the citrusy flavour, but if sourcing it is difficult where you live, adding ginger with a little lemon juice does the trick. For this dish, I recommend serving it with vermicelli noodles, if you would like an accompaniment.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 200ml/7fl oz/scant 1 cup coconut milk
• ½ tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 lime, halved, one half for the juice, the other cut into 4 wedges
• ½ tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 2 fennel bulbs, quartered and cut into slices 1cm/½in thick
• 3 portobello mushrooms, about 225g/8oz, cut into slices 1cm/½in thick
• 3 medium tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
• Vermicelli noodles, to serve (optional)

For the stock:

• 1 stalk of lemongrass, white part only, bruised and thinly sliced
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2.5cm/1in ginger, julienned
• 5cm/2in galangal, julienned

For the garnish:

• A bunch of fresh coriander, leaves picked
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, ribs removed and thinly sliced

Method

In a large saucepan, put all the stock ingredients, together with 800ml/28fl oz/3¼ cups of water.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the stock flavouring ingredients into a small bowl for use later.

Next, stir the coconut milk, sugar, salt and the juice of half the lime into the stock. Stir well and turn off the heat. The soup is now ready.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, fry the reserved stock flavouring ingredients for 3 minutes and then tip into the soup.

Using the same pan, and over a medium-high heat, add the remaining oil, then cook the fennel in batches for 2 minutes on each side until nicely charred. Transfer to four serving bowls. Repeat the same for the mushrooms, but cook for just 1 minute on each side, and the tomatoes for 2 minutes on each side.

Pour the soup into the bowls, garnish with the coriander, kaffir lime leaves and lime wedges, and serve with the vermicelli noodles, if using.

Musa says: “What I love about this soup is that you can be creative with the different sorts of vegetables you can put in it. One of the most common is mushrooms, and here I use fresh shiitake mushrooms for their strong, earthy flavour. This soup is usually served as a side, but I have made it a main by adding Chinese cabbage, cut into strips like flat noodles. You can also include some vermicelli noodles, if you prefer. I made the soup less spicy by not using fiery bird’s eye chillies, but if you like your tom yum hot as it is in Thailand, bruise about 4 chillies and add them to the soup when it starts to simmer.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 100g/3½oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 100g/3½oz fine beans, both ends trimmed, cut into pieces 3cm/1¼in long
• 1 carrot, about 100g/3½oz, thinly sliced
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 300g/10½oz Chinese cabbage, cut lengthways into
• 1cm/½in strips
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, ribs removed and thinly sliced
• A handful of fresh coriander, leaves picked

For the paste:

• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 3 red chillies, deseeded
• 2 stalks of lemongrass, white part only, bruised and thinly sliced
• 5cm/2in galangal

Method

Blitz together the paste ingredients with 2 tablespoons of water using a handheld stickblender or food processor until fine and smooth. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium/high heat and fry the paste for 3 minutes. Stir in the sugar, salt, tamarind and soy sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms, beans and carrot, stir well and then pour in 1 litre/36fl oz/4 cups of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, cabbage and kaffir lime leaves and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer to four serving bowls and garnish with the coriander. Serve immediately.

Bowlful: Fresh and vibrant dishes from Southeast Asia by Norman Musa (£20, Pavilion Books) is out now