Spicy Curry noodles

I recently visited one of my Portland favorites Pok Pok for some incredible street-style Thai food. Inspired by one of the curry noodle dishes, I decided to make some good curry paste from scratch which I think is the reason their food tastes phenomenal.


Ingredients:
For the dry spice mix:
4-6 dried red chilies or to taste
2 tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
6 green cardamom pods, de-seeded (just use the seeds)
1 tsp. dried mace
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. nutmeg, grated
1 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tsp. fish sauce (optional)
1 tsp. soy sauce (optional)

For curry paste:
ginger - 1" piece
6 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. coriander stems, chopped
6 shallots

1 small can coconut milk
veges (sliced green and red peppers, bokchoy, mushrooms, tomatoes)
chicken or meat (optional)
1 small sprig cilantro
1 package noodles

Method:


Cook flat egg noodles according to the package instructions and set aside. I prefer to rinse in cold water to prevent overcooking while I prep the rest of the curry.

Dry roast the spices in a pan until it's aromatic and golden. Grind it to a powder using a spice grinder. Add the turmeric, curry powder and grate fresh nutmeg to this, mix well.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, ginger, shallots, cilantro stems with coarse sea salt to make a fine paste. Combine the dry spices with the wet paste, fish and soy sauces.

In a wok on medium heat, add the coconut milk, keep stirring until it reduces to a thick glossy paste and you smell the coconut oil in it.
It helps to use a really good quality coconut extract...not the lite, tasteless ones. The good news is that I actually did not use any oil to make this and just that tiny can gives you all the flavor.

Then add the prepared curry paste and saute until fragrant. Add the veges and/or chicken and saute with the curry paste until cooked through.
Then add 3-4 cups of water and let the curry simmer on low heat until thickened. Turn off the heat, add the noodles and toss until heated through and garnish with chopped cilantro.

This curry paste is pretty versatile with meat or veges and also soupy or fairly thick depending on what you prefer. I served it soupy, Chiang-Mai style, which was delicious!

Green papaya curry

Lately, I have been looking to eat a little less meat and add more vegetarian options to my diet. This is not just because of the health benefits but also to do my little part for the environment.

So, was pleasantly surprised to find the green papaya quite by accident... my husband actually brought it home thinking it was regular papaya :)
Anyways, I am glad, as it made a truly delightful curry and am going to seek this out the next time around!

It reminded me of gourds or quashes in texture and I thought it would work well as a substitute for green jackfruit or chayote squash in an Indonesian or Thai curry. So, it borrows from both but looks (and tastes) more like a green curry.





Ingredients:

1 small green papaya, peeled, deseeded and cubed
4-5 kaffir leaves
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp. shrimp paste (skip for vegetarian version )
1 " piece galangal (or ginger) sliced with skin on
1 cup coconut milk (small can works great)

for spice paste:

1 tbsp. coriander seeds
2-4 green chilies, cut into chunks
15 shallots (pearl size), peeled
10 raw cashews

Method:

Grind all the ingredients for spice paste with a little bit of water.
Transfer the papaya cubes, spice paste and 2 cups water into a sauce pan. Add the ginger, shrimp paste, kaffir and curry leaves and let it cook until the papaya is fork tender.

Now turn the heat to low and add the coconut milk and stir until heated through. Serve with rice.

Thai soup (tom yum)

There that those that swear by chicken soup when you have the sniffles or are recuperating from a cold or flu. Then, there is me...I crave for tom yum or rasam (think mulligatawny!).

My version is extremely simple, flavourful and you can substitute the veges with pretty much anything in your fridge. It can become a vegetarian soup by skipping the fish sauce and substituting stock with water.

I also add shrimp (or tofu) to it sometimes for a protein boost. Add them to the soup in the end and cook for a few minutes longer until the prawns turn pinkish and succulent.



Ingredients:

lemongrass - 1 stick, slice the white parts only
galangal - 1" piece, sliced (substitute with fresh ginger if needed)
kaffir (lime leaves) - 3 or 4, sliced
chicken stock - 4 cups
fish sauce - 2 tbsp
soy sauce to taste
spring onions - 4, sliced (separate the white and green parts)
mushrooms - 10, cut into large chunks
baby bok choy - 2, sliced
1 large red chili, sliced
thai red curry paste - 1 tsp
1 tsp oil
juice of 1 lime

Method:

Heat the oil in large pot. Add the white parts of the scallion and saute until soft. Then add the red curry paste and saute, followed by the stock. Now add the rest of the seasoning - galangal, kaffir, fish sauce, lemon grass, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, add the mushrooms, bok choy and the green parts of the spring onions and simmer for a few more minutes on low heat until cooked through. Serve steaming hot with some lime squeezed in it.