Thai Red Curry Noodles: The Comfort Meal You Need

The Thai cuisine is one of the most flavour packed cuisines of Asia. Thai delicacies are majorly savoury in taste, sometimes with a dash of sweetness. Coconut and basil are two of the most integral ingredients used while cooking delicacies in this cuisine. The holy basil is what lends Thai dishes a sweet tinge. An authentic Thai dish can only be made by using vegetables and spices that are traditionally used in Thai cooking. Some of the vegetables authentic to Thailand’s cultivation are Thai eggplant, bird’s eye chilli, bamboo shoots, morning glory - otherwise known as pak boong etc. These vegetables are used liberally in Thai delicacies. The most popular dish of this cuisine is the Thai curry, which is usually relished along side a plate of sticky white rice. The two most famous Thai curries are red Thai curry and green Thai curry. When cooked with meat and vegetables, these curries make for a promising side dish. However, the utilisation of curries in the Thai cuisine isn’t only limited to consuming them as a side dish. These curries can further be used as a base ingredient to enjoy other dishes, for example noodles. Thai red curry noodles have become very popular with foodies as a change enjoyed in place of the simple pad Thai. But before we get in to the recipe of the dish, let’s first understand what the Thai red curry is.  

The Thai red curry is basically a curry made from a spicy red paste. The Thai red curry draws its name and colour from the large volume of red chillies used to make its paste. The red paste includes lemongrass, ginger, garlic, galangal, shallots, coriander root as well as cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon. To make the red curry these ingredients are crushed together and coconut milk and kaffir lime leaves are added to the paste to create a saucy red curry.

Thai red curry noodles are noodles tossed in Thai red curry. A quick meal made from a relatively simple recipe, this dish is immensely appetising. In case you don’t have authentic thai vegetables, you needn’t fret. You could substitute that with the vegetables of your choice. The only thing that you would have to be careful about while attempting this recipe is making sure you keep stirring your noodles when added, since they have a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot if left in one spot for too long. Here’s the recipe to this Thai delight: 

Ingredients:

1. 400ml coconut milk
2. 1 handful of fresh coriander
3. 600g diced chicken breast
4. Ginger
5. 2 x lime
6. 160g brown rice noodles
7. 1 onion
8. 2 bird’s eye chilli 
9. Basil
10. 4 1/2 tbsp red Thai curry paste

Method: 

1. Heat a large frying pan or wok with 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. De-freeze the chicken breast and dice them. Cook the  diced chicken for 4-6 mins, until golden brown.
2. Meanwhile, deseed the chillis and thinly slice. Finely slice the onion. Finely chop or grate the ginger. Add all these ingredients along with basil to the chicken and cook for 5 mins, until softened.
3. Roughly chop the coriander. Halve the sweetcorn lengthways. Add the curry paste, sweetcorn, coconut milk and half the coriander to the pan. Squeeze in the juice from 1 lime and season with salt. Simmer for 12-15 mins, until the sauce has thickened.
4. Boil a kettle. Heat a large saucepan filled with salted boiling water on a high heat. Add the noodles, then gently separate with a fork. Boil for 3-4 mins, until cooked, then drain.
5. Serve the noodles with the chicken broth. Sprinkle over remaining coriander and garnish with the remaining lime as wedges.