“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.” ~ Marcel Boulestin
I am really excited to share this recipe with you today.
I made this for the first time a few nights ago, and I was incredibly nervous. Making an Asian curry from scratch is daunting, and achieving the right tastes is difficult – particularly without the packaged curry pastes and fish sauces.
I have a general indifference toward packaged foods, but more than anything else, I feel why must you have to buy something you can so easily make at home?
This soup-noodles is a version of khao suey – but a lot lighter. I have a standard Thai paste that I make at home regularly – fresh coconut, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, onions, chilli, and fresh basil leaves. But each time I make it, I either add or subtract something. A home cook will understand this – it really depends on what’s lying around the kitchen.
For a green curry paste, I add green onions, green chilli and fresh coriander. For a red base I add the giant red jalapenos. For a yellow curry, I add a pinch of turmeric. If you can get hold of galangal – please use that – ALWAYS!
The veggies, I cook for not more than 10-15 minutes, I like to keep them crunchy. I cook them all together in a non-stick hot pan – with NO OIL. I boil the noodles while the curry simmers. Once al dente, drain the noodles and rinse in cold water. Add some oil to the noodles to ensure they don’t stick to each other. I add the roasted peanuts, spring onions and fried onions on top, mostly for presentation, and also as an incentive to eat the veggies! (I have a weakness for fried onions!).
Serve this in a wide big bowl and perhaps you could wear a bib while you slurp away!
The Recipe
Serves Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- Curry Paste:
- 1-2 stalk lemon grass
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 chopped onion
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp fresh or dried basil
- 2 tbsp fresh coconut flakes
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 2-3 kaffir leaves
- Curry:
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp shallots, chopped
- ½ cup leeks, chopped
- 200 ml coconut milk
- 350 ml water
- ½ cube veg stock
- 2 tbsp soya sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp chilli sambal
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
- Veggies:
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped
- ¼ cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- Salt to taste
- To serve:
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- Slices of lemon
Instructions
- Curry Paste:
- Blend all the ingredients together to make a paste, adding some water if required.
- Curry:
- In heated oil, sauté the garlic, ginger, leeks and shallots.
- Then add in the paste and chilli sauce and cook.
- Meanwhile, mix the stock with water well in a separate bowl or glass.
- Add in the coconut milk and the stock water.
- Then add the soya sauce and the rice wine vinegar.
- Cover and let simmer while you prepare the remaining components.
- Remove the lid if the curry looks too watery for you, or add more water, if it’s not the soup consistency that you want.
- Veggies:
- Heat a non-stick pan on high heat.
- Add all the vegetables with the garlic and onions.
- Stir occasionally.
- Remove from heat after 10-15 minutes.
- To serve:
- Serve in individual bowls; add the veggies first, then the noodles.
- Pour some hot curry to cover the contents and some more.
- Garnish with peanuts, spring onions and fried onions on top.
