Simple Thai Green Curry Noodles

Now this is a very simple recipe where I have used pad Thai rice noodles- not to make pad thai but with green curry paste.I have heard about the wonderful Thai green curry made with Green Curry Paste.There are several versions and variations as per taste and heat/spiciness.I was wondering whether the same paste can be combined with noodles instead of serving green curry as a side.So I made a simple green curry paste referencing here and then made a sauce out of it by adding coconut milk and then added pad thai noodles to it.The result was comforting and filling,though not spicy hot.

Ingredients:

Pad Thai Noodles: 1/2 pkt (Serves 3 big bowls)
Coconut Milk: 1 cup+/-
Salt: as per taste

Green Curry Paste:
Red Onion: 1 small
Galangal /fresh ginger: 1- 2 inch piece
Coriander Leaves: 1/4 cup( leaves and stalks) chopped
Green Chillies/Thai Serrano Chillies:
Lemon Grass: 1 stalk -discard the green part and chop up the white lower part
Lime:1 whole: juice + zest (Can add another as per taste)
Coriander:simply powdered : 1 tsp
Cumin: simply powdered: 1 tsp
Soy sauce: 1 tsp
Vegetable Oil: 1 tbsp

Optional Additions
Beans Sprouts
Tofu pieces
Veggies of your choice: I used chopped carrots only
Soy sauce:1-2 tbsp

Preparation:
Paste:
Keep all the paste ingredients in the blender/processor and mix to obtain green curry paste.The above estimate gives almost 1/4 cup of paste which can be stored in a clean sterilized jar in the fridge.

Update on 01/01/2009:I found I have a pic of the paste.so I am adding it.Sorry I could not do earlier.

Noodles:
Soak the thai noodles in warm water for atleast 20-30 minutes. I actually boiled water with little salt ,removed it from heat,cooled it a bit and then soaked noodles for 20-30 minutes.Thai noodles are not supposed to be boiled. If in a hurry it can be soaked in very hot water for 15 minutes.Normally it can be upto 1 hour when the noodles become transparent,flexible and chewy/aldente.Rinse with cold water and keep aside.

While the noodles are cooked,chop the veggies into bite sized pieces.I used carrots as I thought the colour would be contrasting nd added beans sprout and tofu as well as green curry has these and I thought it would look authentic.If using canned bean sprouts,drain and rinse them.Marinate the tofu in a mix of soy sauce,little salt and optionally little green paste for atleast 20 minutes.I actually avoided the paste,but found that some tofu pieces were not that "curry-tasting".Hence my suggestion of using paste in the marinade.

Heat little oil in a thick bottommed pan.Add 2-3 tbsp of the curry paste and saute for 1-2 minutes until the raw smell disappears and the colour just starts to change.You can saute a few more minutes if you like,just make sure that it is not burnt.I sauteed only till it started to turn a pale green.Add the chopped veggies,marinated tofu(drained if too much soy sauce is used for marinade) and little salt.Make sure the veggies and tofu get coated with the paste and saute for just 1-2 minutes and then add coconut milk -I used medium thick coco milk made from powder.Feel free to use your choice.Stir well and bring to a boil.Reduce the heat and let it simmer till the veggies get cooked.

Now if you are adding quick cooking veggies like peas and also bean sprouts,you can add it after the coconut milk addition.Only thing is whether you add milk first or not,the veggies should be cooked and seasoned with the curry paste.

Once the veggies are cooked for a few minutes,add the noodles and mix gently till it is coated with sauce/gravy.Add more coconut milk and salt if needed and cook for a few more minutes till everything gets blended and the sauce is reduced or thickened as per taste or choiceContinue cooking if you prefer it as dry or stop when saucy gravy is obtained.I served it a bit dry.Check taste.Garnish with coriander/lime zest if interested.Serve warm.

I found that the dish is comforting but not that spicy as I have come across.So increase the amount of paste as per taste and also amount of veggies and thickness of coco milk.It was like a lemony pasta(pad thai noodles resemble linguini pasta) with a cilantro pesto (green curry paste is like cilantro pesto).Those who like the pasta with pesto will surely like this as well.

I was actually not sure whether I should jump into Thai cuisine,as I have heard that even veg dishes used fish sauce and paste had shrimp.But this turned out to be good and a big comforting bowl is on the way to DK where she is staring at Thailand with the AWED.

The dish can be made with any noodles/pasta of your choice and would make a different yet comforting main course for a party.Thai noodles are gluten -free /rice noodles.So the heaviness of the normal pasta will not be there.So a party plate goes to Purva where she is hosting an elegant Christmas Feast.

Simple Chocolate Pudding

This time,the "Book Club" chose "Anne of Green Gables" by L M Montgomery as the "Chosen Book" for December.It is a wonderful book that introduces us to the world of Anne -an orphan,adopted by middle aged Cuthbert siblings and how she grows up to be wonderful teacher.Well, the book is full of Anne's Antics -how her imagination runs wild and how she forgets simple things,like emptying milk in the basket of yarn balls,and dreaming up dying of disease while trying to save her friend etc.

The book is full of dishes to be made if left to imagination like Anne.Well there is even an Anne inspired cookbook by the author's grand daughter Kate.But for me,it seems Anne has rubbed off on too much.I wanted to make so many things at the same time,that laziness got better of me .So at the nth moment I decided to make a simple chocolate pudding from here which no one can go wrong-except obviously me.The pudding was tasty though I feel it lacks professional touch-maybe what Anne says -"The stars in the courses fight against me" stands true for me.But Anne thanks to you,I enjoyed the tasty pudding.

Ingredients:

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 2-3 tbsp
Cornstarch: 4 tbsp
White Sugar: 1/2 cup +
Salt: a pinch

Milk:2 and 3/4 cups

Unsalted Butter: 1 -2 tbsp

Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp

Preparation:

In a small saucepan,mix together all the dry ingredients of cornstarch,cocoa,sugar and salt.Stir in milk and then place over medium-low heat on gasstove.Mix well so that the cornstarch and sugar dissolves well.Bring to a just-boiling point(scalding) slowly and then allow it to cook stirring continuously for about 5 minutes or until the mix thickens and gets coated to the back of a spoon.Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla.Stir in so that the butter is melted and well blended.Pour the mix into serving bowls and then let it attain room temperature and then chill it in the fridge covered with a plastic wrap such that the wrap touches the top of the pudding.This prevents the skin like formation on the top of the pudding.You can also serve the pudding warm by reheating or at room tempreature.

I actually chilled it for around 1 hour and then kept it outside and then served it at room temperature.The mistake for me was I sort of allowed it to cook a bit too much even after the spoon got coated,so it started to form lumps,but I removed it immediately and then continued stirring with a whisk so that it looked 'normal',thankfully it worked(oops,I hope so).I also added a pinch of cinnamon and clove (powdered) to it.You can see specks of clove if you look carefully.This is completely optional though.

It looked and tasted 'normal like a pudding' and it is very quick to make -under 20 minutes it was ready except for chilling,that is.Now this tasty and simple Chocolate Pudding is for Anne from me-its quick and easy for you to make as well.Lets see what others come up with:

Aparna: BakingPowder Biscuits

Simran:Chocolate Layer Cake

Lets wait for Bhags,Siri,Dee,Srimathi, SunshineMom and Rachel and check out their goodies for imaginative Anne