recipe: curry mee

Yummmm..... I love this soup. It's creamy and spicy, with slurpy noodles and crunchy bean sprouts and the bite of scallions, it all balances just right. I served this to Mom, Dad, and Pam when they came to visit, and when I told Dad I was making a curry soup, he rightfully asked "curry what? chicken curry? vegetable curry?" It made me realize that the recipe doesn't really call for much - but I think you could throw in just about anything. Sometimes I do chicken, sometimes tofu, and then whatever vegetables are in the fridge.

Curry Mee (Curry Soup)
Adapted from the New York Times

Note on ingredients: I'd leave out the lemongrass if you can't get it inexpensively at your Asian grocery. I can get a stalk for a dime at the Asian Grocery, but it's several dollars at Hannaford, and I wouldn't bother for that price. A squeeze of lime at the end would do the trick. Also, a good coconut milk won't slosh in the can when you shake it - it will sound solid. This isn't the case for the Thai Kitchen brand that is widely available, but that stuff should be just fine. And lastly, the curry paste is critical, but might not be available at a regular grocery; you can probably find it online though (it's shelf stable), and it will last practically forever in your fridge. The picture below shows the brand I like.

Vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
1 T. minced ginger
1 stalk of lemongrass, split
2 T. Thai red curry paste (or less if you want it less spicy)
3/4 lb. chicken breast, or one package tofu, cut in bitesize pieces
1/2 t. paprika
1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
1/4 t. ground turmeric
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. sugar, more to taste
8 oz dried thin rice noodles (bun or vermicelli), or other Asian noodles like udon
A couple of handfuls of bean sprouts
Scallions, cut into small rings
Cilantro, chopped
Limes, quartered for serving

Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions, ginger, and lemongrass, and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add curry paste and saute a minute longer. Add the chicken or tofu and saute for a minute or so. Add paprika through sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, cook rice noodles in boiling water according to directions, and drain.

Divide noodles among bowls. Bring curry soup back up to a boil, and then ladle over the noodles. Top with bean sprouts, scallions, and cilantro, and serve with a wedge of lime. Serves 4.