Ingredients
200g vermicelli rice noodles
2 no-salt chicken stock cubes
1 stick lemongrass, optional
4cm piece of root ginger
4 spring onions
A few sprigs of coriander
1 red chilli
1 bok choy or other Asian greens
1 carrot
225 g raw frozen prawns (defrosted), from sustainable sources
100 g frozen peas
1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce, optional
1 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Boil a full kettle. Divide the noodles between four bowls, then cover with the boiling kettle water and leave to rehydrate.
Pour a further 1.5 litres of hot water from the kettle into a large saucepan, crumble in the stock cubes and stir to dissolve, bringing it to a simmer.
Peel the lemongrass (if using) and slice lengthways. Peel and thinly slice the root ginger. Trim the tops and ends of the spring onions, then finely slice them, separating the green parts and white parts. Peel and finely chop the garlic and deseed and finely chop the chilli. Pick the coriander leaves and finely chop the coriander stalks separately. Separate the bok choy leaves and rinse well. Peel half the carrot into long ribbons, then chop the rest into matchsticks.
Add the prawns, ginger, lemongrass (if using), white parts of the spring onions, garlic, coriander stalks, bok choy, the carrot matchsticks, peas and half the chilli to the stock. Simmer for a few minutes until the prawns have turned pink and the bok choy has wilted, then squeeze in half the lime juice and season with fish sauce, soy sauce and black pepper.
Drain the noodles and divide the hot broth and vegetables between the bowls. Scatter the remaining garnishes – the green parts of the spring onions, the carrot ribbons, the red chilli and coriander leaves – over the bowls and serve with lime wedges.
