September's cooking destination at My Kitchen My World was Thailand and I made these Thai Curry Noodles with Tofu. I had a ton of different Thai recipes bookmarked and the Thai noodle dishes were especially calling to me. When my husband and were newly married we lived in Texas and there was this little hole in the wall Thai place that I absolutely loved. I really miss their Pad Thai!
I found this recipe here at about.com's Thai recipe area. This was my first time making a curry seasoning without using "curry powder" in a jar. I know. Everyone makes their own curry seasoning, but for me, the different varieties of jarred curry powder always seemed to add just the right amount of flavor for me. Now that I've dipped my toe into making my own spice blend, I'm sure I'll be experimenting with different curry mixes quite often, even if I'm the only one who really likes curry in our household. Luckily for me curry makes great leftovers and the flavors deepen over time.
Thai Curried Noodles with Tofu
"This curry noodles recipe is a condensed version of an ancient Thai noodle dish called "Kao Soy". Since it would take an hour or more to make the original recipe, I've simplified it somewhat while still maintaining that delicious original taste. You can use dried egg or wheat noodles for this dish - or splurge and pick up some fresh noodles at your local Asian food store or grocery store deli. A delicious curry noodle recipe you'll be sure to enjoy." -- from about.com
•dried or fresh egg or wheat noodles - enough for 2-4 people
•1/2 package medium-firm tofu, cut into cubes
•1 red bell pepper
•1 green bell pepper (I used two smaller green peppers)
•handful of fresh shiitake mushrooms (I used regular white mushrooms)
•1/2 cup coconut milk (I started with 1/2 but ended up using 3/4 cup)
•1 lime, cut into wedges (I bought a lime just for this, but forgot to add it!)
•3 Tbsp. soy sauce
•oil for stir-frying
Curry Paste
•1/2 tsp. turmeric
•3 cloves garlic
•1-2 fresh red chilies (de-seeded if you prefer less spice) (I used 1 dried Japanese chili)
•1 thumb-size piece galangal or fresh ginger (I used ginger)
•1 Tbsp. ground coriander
•1 tsp. cumin
•1/2 tsp. ground cardamon
•1/4 tsp. ground cloves
•1/4 tsp. cinnamon
•2 Tbsp. fish sauce or vegetarian fish sauce (available at Vietnamese stores), OR 2+1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
•Optional: sugar to taste (I added 1 tbsp brown sugar)
Cook noodles according to instructions on package. If boiling dried noodles, be sure to rinse well after cooking with cold water to keep them from sticking together. Tip: The noodles will be stir-fried later, so try not to over-cook at this point. Set aside.
To make the curry paste, place all paste ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well. Or, mince ingredients well and pound together with a pestle & mortar.
Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the paste. Stir-fry briefly to release the fragrance (30 seconds to 1 minute).
Add a few Tbsp. of the coconut milk and stir into the paste, then add the vegetables.Stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked and bell peppers are bright in color. Tip: Add a little more of the 1/2 cup coconut milk if your wok/pan becomes too dry.
Add the remaining coconut milk plus the soy sauce. Stir-fry everything together, then add the noodles and tofu. Tip: If your tofu is soft and will fall apart, add it just before serving, gently folding it into the noodles. Using 2 utensils, gently stir-fry the noodles, lifting and turning them as you do so. Stir-fry in this way until noodles absorb most of the coconut-curry sauce (1-2 minutes).
Serve noodles hot from the wok.
These were so tasty, I would make them again for sure. The only thing I would change is to probably fry up the tofu in a little oil first to make is crispier, other than that, perfect curry noodles :)