Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Simple Thai Green Curry Noodles

Now this is a very simple recipe where I have used pad Thai rice noodles- not to make pad thai but with green curry paste.I have heard about the wonderful Thai green curry made with Green Curry Paste.There are several versions and variations as per taste and heat/spiciness.I was wondering whether the same paste can be combined with noodles instead of serving green curry as a side.So I made a simple green curry paste referencing here and then made a sauce out of it by adding coconut milk and then added pad thai noodles to it.The result was comforting and filling,though not spicy hot.

Ingredients:

Pad Thai Noodles: 1/2 pkt (Serves 3 big bowls)
Coconut Milk: 1 cup+/-
Salt: as per taste

Green Curry Paste:
Red Onion: 1 small
Galangal /fresh ginger: 1- 2 inch piece
Coriander Leaves: 1/4 cup( leaves and stalks) chopped
Green Chillies/Thai Serrano Chillies:
Lemon Grass: 1 stalk -discard the green part and chop up the white lower part
Lime:1 whole: juice + zest (Can add another as per taste)
Coriander:simply powdered : 1 tsp
Cumin: simply powdered: 1 tsp
Soy sauce: 1 tsp
Vegetable Oil: 1 tbsp

Optional Additions
Beans Sprouts
Tofu pieces
Veggies of your choice: I used chopped carrots only
Soy sauce:1-2 tbsp


Preparation:
Paste:

Keep all the paste ingredients in the blender/processor and mix to obtain green curry paste.The above estimate gives almost 1/4 cup of paste which can be stored in a clean sterilized jar in the fridge.

Update on 01/01/2009:I found I have a pic of the paste.so I am adding it.Sorry I could not do earlier.


Noodles:
Soak the thai noodles in warm water for atleast 20-30 minutes. I actually boiled water with little salt ,removed it from heat,cooled it a bit and then soaked noodles for 20-30 minutes.Thai noodles are not supposed to be boiled. If in a hurry it can be soaked in very hot water for 15 minutes.Normally it can be upto 1 hour when the noodles become transparent,flexible and chewy/aldente.Rinse with cold water and keep aside.


While the noodles are cooked,chop the veggies into bite sized pieces.I used carrots as I thought the colour would be contrasting nd added beans sprout and tofu as well as green curry has these and I thought it would look authentic.If using canned bean sprouts,drain and rinse them.Marinate the tofu in a mix of soy sauce,little salt and optionally little green paste for atleast 20 minutes.I actually avoided the paste,but found that some tofu pieces were not that "curry-tasting".Hence my suggestion of using paste in the marinade.



Heat little oil in a thick bottommed pan.Add 2-3 tbsp of the curry paste and saute for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the colour just starts to change.You can saute a few more minutes if you like,just make sure that it is not burnt.I sauteed only till it started to turn a pale green.Add the chopped veggies,marinated tofu(drained if too much soy sauce is used for marinade) and little salt.Make sure the veggies and tofu get coated with the paste and saute for just 1-2 minutes and then add coconut milk -I used medium thick coco milk made from powder.Feel free to use your choice.Stir well and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat and let it simmer till the veggies get cooked.



Now if you are adding quick cooking veggies like peas and also bean sprouts,you can add it after the coconut milk addition.Only thing is whether you add milk first or not,the veggies should be cooked and seasoned with the curry paste.



Once the veggies are cooked for a few minutes,add the noodles and mix gently till it is coated with sauce/gravy.Add more coconut milk and salt if needed and cook for a few more minutes till everything gets blended and the sauce is reduced or thickened as per taste or choiceContinue cooking if you prefer it as dry or stop when saucy gravy is obtained.I served it a bit dry.Check taste.Garnish with coriander/lime zest if interested.Serve warm.


I found that the dish is comforting but not that spicy as I have come across.So increase the amount of paste as per taste and also amount of veggies and thickness of coco milk.It was like a lemony pasta(pad thai noodles resemble linguini pasta) with a cilantro pesto (green curry paste is like cilantro pesto).Those who like the pasta with pesto will surely like this as well.



I was actually not sure whether I should jump into Thai cuisine,as I have heard that even veg dishes used fish sauce and paste had shrimp.But this turned out to be good and a big comforting bowl is on the way to DK where she is staring at Thailand with the AWED.



The dish can be made with any noodles/pasta of your choice and would make a different yet comforting main course for a party.Thai noodles are gluten -free /rice noodles.So the heaviness of the normal pasta will not be there.So a party plate goes to Purva where she is hosting an elegant Christmas Feast.


22 Comments:

Purva Desai said...

Thai curry looks lips smacking......you can sent this for the event.....which I guess you have already done :)

Unknown said...

good one..this thai recipe is completely new to me..

Unknown said...

wooooooho yummy looks perfect yes I also brought red curry past from store before but I have a dought if there is shrimps in that because of it s smell so I didn't use that this was long back so this time I made it at home and it was a hit and I love the fresh flavor also

Cham said...

I didn't try thai curry got a book from library ... Looks delicious the Thai noodle

anudivya said...

Got to try the green curry paste soon, I just love it.

Usha said...

Looks delicious,I have been wanting to try making this type of curry for some time now...will try this!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

noodles look great! i love thai food. never made noodles at home though.

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

u have a lovely place !

first time here..wud love it if u cud stop by my lil new place sometime.

Happy new year dear.

Red Chillies said...

Thank you very much for all the warm comments Sweatha.
Like the idea of mixing up noodles and the green curry.

Anonymous said...

This is absoloutely a comfort food..looks tempting and simple.

Yasmeen said...

Tasty curry noodles.Have a wonderful and healthy new year:)

Sunshinemom said...

I have never tried anything Thai so far! Was out of station and came back to see so many posts missed! Wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year, and hope to meet you when I am in B'lore this year!!

Priya Suresh said...

Wow noodles makes me hunger..prefect entry for the events..Happy New year CL to you n your family..

lubnakarim06 said...

Wow yummy and spicy noodles. Happy New Year to you dear.

PG said...

Looks yummy! two days ago I aso made thai with the green curry paste. I had used 1/5 th of the packet I think. It was lovely, but it was HOT!

PG said...

wishing you a very happy, healthy and joyous New Year 2009!

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

A very Happy New to you and your family! I am looking forward to your recipes tooo! keep blogging :)

sra said...

Sweatha, happy new year!

giz said...

Thai flavours rock - I'm a huge fan of Thai food and this dish looks wonderful.

Ivy said...

It looks delicious. Happy New Year Sweatha and thanks for joining BloggerAid.

Uma said...

Wishing you and your family a wonderful New Year 2009!

Unknown said...

Ts luks just perfect..will be making this 2morrow for dinner...will let u know how it turned out! Yum!

Thanks for sending this yummy treat to AWED


Hugs
DK
(http://culinarybazaar.blogspot.com)

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