Laksa Soup with Sesame Chicken

Jamie Oliver seems to have a spell bounding effect on my cooking and my senses. I find his cooking very therapeutic and also very informative. The ease with with which he connects the dots and one thing seamlessly joins with the other exploring new flavours, textures and yummy meals. This soup is happiness in a bowl and taken from Jamies 15 min meals. It takes good 20-25 min for me to make it but its so worth it. He calls it thai chicken laksa, mildy spiced noodle squash broth. Jamie says that 15 min meals are a mindset so when you want to whip up quick meals you have to keep a kettle ready with boiling water, gridle pan on high heat, large lided pan on high heat and food processor attached with coarse grater for this one.

Ingredients

for chicken
 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 heaped tsp chinese five spice
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 fresh red chilli

for Soup
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 butternut squash ( just the neck end) or pumpkin
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp turmeric
half a bunch of spring onions
4 dried kaffir limes leaves
half bunch fresh coriander
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
3009 rice noodles
1 tin coconut milk
2 limes

On a large sheet of greaseproof paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper and the five spice. Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken with rolling pin. this will help the chicken cook quicker and absorb the flavours. Place the chicken on hot gridle turning after 3-4 mintues until nicely charred and cooked through.
Pour 800 ml of boiling water into large pan and crumble stock cube.
trim the stalk off the squash, roughly chop the neck end dont peel and keep the seed end for some other day. Grate and tip the chopped pieces into boiling stock. Whiz the garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric, spring onions, lime leaves, coriander stalks, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and tip the paste in the stock and add noodles.
Add coconut milk and soon as it boils, taste, correct the seasoning with soy sauce and lime juice, then turn off the heat. 
Drizzle some honey  over charred chicken and squeeze over juice of 1 lime and scatter with sesame seeds
Sprinkle everything with coriander and your quick meal is ready !

Happy Cooking