Creamy, coconutty and redolent with spice, this velvet-textured soup originated in Penang but is popular throughout South-East Asian, where it assumes many guises. We've made our own alterations with the addition of pumpkin for a more veg-tastic take on the classic. Don't be shy with the lime juice, you're after a nice tang to offset the luscious flavour of the broth.
Peel pumpkin and remove and discard seeds. Cut pumpkin into 4cm pieces. Thoroughly wash coriander, pick leaves from their stems and finely chop stems. Keep stems and leaves separate.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add curry paste and coriander stems and cook for 1 minute or until curry paste is caramelised and fragrant.
Add coconut milk, stock cube and 500ml (2 cups) water and bring to a simmer.
Add pumpkin and chicken to pan and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12–15 minutes or until chicken is cooked and pumpkin is tender. Remove chicken from heat and set aside to cool slightly. While soup is cooking, continue with step 5.
Place noodles in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 2 minutes to soften. Drain. Meanwhile, slice chicken and return to laksa to warm through.
Juice ½ the lime and add juice to laksa. Season to taste. Cut remaining lime into wedges. Divide noodles between bowls and spoon over pumpkin and broth. Top with chicken and coriander leaves and serve with lime wedges.