Coconut Curry Noodles

Creamy and crunchy thai-inspired noodle bowl. This dish goes well with any type of protein, such as shrimps, pork or chicken, but you can even leave it vegetarian as it certainly does not lack in the taste department. You can also mix and match with any vegetables you desire, and if you want you can turn this noodle bowl into a soup! This dish is medium spicy. Add or reduce the chilli paste as desired.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

Coconut Sauce:

• 1 tbsp oil 
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced 
• 1 tbsp red curry paste 
• 1 can regular coconut milk (400ml) 
• 3 tbsp sugar 
• 1/2 tbsp hot chilli paste
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (omit for vegetarian version)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth (optional if you want a more soupy consistency) 

Noodle Bowl:

• 100g rice or egg noodles 
• 1 tbsp oil 
• half an onion, chopped 
• 1 cup chopped broccoli florets 
• 1 cup shredded carrots 
• 1 cup mangetout 
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage 
• sesame seeds for topping 
• limes for serving 
• spring onions, chopped, for serving
• cooked shrimps/pork/chicken, (optional)

Directions:
Put a pot of water to boil for the noodles. In the meantime start the sauce. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and ginger; stir fry for 3-5 minutes. Add the curry paste; stir fry for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, sugar, chilli paste, fish sauce, and soy sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes or so - it should thicken slightly. If you're adding the broth to make the sauce be more like a soup, you might need a little extra simmer time for the sauce to thicken. 

At this point you can start cooking the noodles. In the meantime start preparing the noodle bowl. In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion, carrots, broccoli, and mangetout. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until the broccoli and mangetout are bright green. Do not cook for too long, the vegetables should still have some crunch to them.

The noodles should be ready by now; add the cooked noodles and toss around in the pan with the vegetables. Add the sauce and any protein you are using, and toss together until just combined (if you cook it too long at this point, the noodles might get too sticky). Serve topped with the purple cabbage and sesame seeds and a squeeze of lime or basil leaves if you want. 

Adapted from Original Recipe