Rounding up our Terrific Threesome of guest posts is Erica Lea, who brings us a yummy dish that she saved in her recipe box as soon as she saw it. If you’ve read the Tasty Kitchen blog post last month when we featured Erica, then you know you’re in for some good food that’s beautifully photographed. We’re all ears (and eyes), Erica!
Red Curry Coconut Noodles. Just the name sent my imagination spinning. As I glanced at the ingredient list, I knew I wanted to make this recipe.
This dish, brought to us by nika, is a glorious explosion of flavors. Don’t be intimidated if some of the ingredients seem exotic. You should be able to find most of them at your local grocery store or an Asian market.
Here’s what you’ll need: boneless, skinless chicken breasts, coconut milk, red curry paste, fresh ginger, cilantro, Thai sweet chili sauce, chicken broth, rice noodles (I used the flat kind), an onion, two red bell peppers, and two heads of broccoli.
Start by prepping your ingredients. Grate enough ginger to make about 1 tablespoon. Chop up enough cilantro to make a tablespoon or so. I went heavy on the cilantro. Next, julienne your veggies. Julienne is just another way of saying “cut into long, thin slices.”
To make this recipe easier, you can use prepackaged broccoli slaw in place of the broccoli stems. But I like to do things the hard way.
Remove the broccoli heads (reserve for a later use), cut off the hard bottoms, and carefully peel the stem. Chop the broccoli stems into pieces about 2-3 inches long, cut into thin slices, stack the slices, and cut across the slices. Now you have little matchstick-sized broccoli pieces.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes.
Scoop the thick cream off the top of the coconut milk. This will be your “oil” for frying the chicken and vegetables.
Plop the coconut cream into a large pot set over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and ginger and let simmer for one minute. Your kitchen will begin to smell lovely.
Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
Once the chicken is completely cooked, add the rest of the coconut milk, chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.
Shove the veggies into the pot.
Now it’s time for a bit of magic. Poke the rice noodles into the pot and stir.
Return to a simmer and cook until the noodles are done, about 5 minutes. The sauce should begin to thicken.
Remove from the heat and let sit for about five minutes. This allows the sauce to thicken even more.
Serve in bowls and garnish with extra cilantro.
Notes: I was very pleased with this recipe and hope to make it again! Another time, I might add more curry paste and less noodles. The noodles really soaked up the sauce, and I ended up pouring the whole package of chicken broth into the pot. This recipe is so forgiving and versatile.
I served the noodles with many sides and sauces: yogurt, sweet chili sauce, curry paste, peanut butter, and toasted coconut. Use your imagination!
Thank you, Nikki (nika), for sharing this recipe and for answering all my questions about your recipe.
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Description
This has become a family favourite! I love that it never tastes exactly the same, and it is easy to add in other flavours that you might like in your coconut curry.
Ingredients
- 6 whole Chicken, Boneless, Skinless Breasts, Cubed
- 2 cans Coconut Milk
- 2 teaspoons Red Curry Paste
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger (fresh, Grated)
- 1 Tablespoon Cilantro (fresh, Chopped)
- ¼ cups Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
- 2 cups, 1 tablespoon, 2 teaspoons, 7-⅛ pinches Chicken Or Vegetable Broth
- 1 package Rice Noodles
- 1 whole Onion (julienne)
- 2 whole Red Peppers (julienne)
- 1 cup Broccoli Slaw
- 1 Tablespoon Salt To Taste
Preparation Instructions
Start with a large pot over medium-high heat. Scoop the cream off the top of the coconut milk, and put into the pot. The cream will be used as the “fat” instead of oil or butter. Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger. Let this simmer for 1 minute.
Then add the chicken. Cook the chicken through.
Then add the rest of what is in the coconut milk cans, sweet Thai chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth. Bring this to a simmer.
Then add your julienned veggies and rice noodles. Simmer this. You will see the broth slowly thicken as the rice noodles absorb it. It should only take about 5 minutes for the rice noodles to be cooked through.
Pull the pot off the heat, and let sit for about 5 minutes. It will thicken during this time. Then, it’s done. Slurp these noodles out of big noodle bowls! Garnish it with a bit more cilantro.
* I have also added peanut butter to this recipe, and a bit of honey if you want a less savoury/spicy version.
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Erica Berge shares her wonderful recipes and amazing food photography on her blog, Cooking for Seven. She also writes about crafts and posts more of her beautiful photography in her personal blog, EricaLea.com. There really isn’t much that this amazing young lady can’t do, and we’re thrilled she does some of it here.
37 Comments
Comments are closed for this recipe.
Jenna on 7.28.2010
I made this last night and we loved it! I usually like rice noodles but thought they got too soggy in this and will leave them out next time and put the sauce, veggies & chicken over rice. The sauce is divine!
staceycooks on 5.26.2010
Your recipes are deliscious (I’ve tried a few now). Your photography is amazing. Your instructions are clear and precise. What more can I say?
Beckytwogirls on 5.24.2010
Made this on Saturday and it was so good! I used 3/4 box of rice noodles and it was great!
Erica Lea on 5.22.2010
Melissa P: Yes, the broccoli pieces are added with the rest of the vegetables. You can also use broccoli slaw in place of the julienne broccoli stems.
Greneurry on 5.22.2010
Hey guys,
My name is Charlie and I am from Stirling. I have not long ago discovered this forum and I like it alot.
I am a little bit shy so I will not write much about myself but maybe when I will get confortable, you guys will get to know me better!
My main hobbies are cooking and watching movies. I also love outdoor activites but the temperature has been bad for the last weeks or so here in Stirling.
I was wondering if anyone else here is from the united Kingdom too?
I am glad to have joined this forum!
Cheers!
karen on 5.22.2010
I made this wonderful recipe last night http://twitpic.com/1pw4ic – it’s delicious!
I brought liquids (+ about 4 T peanut butter) to boil in big stock pot then added noodles. I sauteed other ingredients one by one in another pan, and added to stock pot after noodles softened. Tossed in fresh spices somewhere in the middle ;). No chicken in fridge so I used eggplant. Dish didn’t require 1 T salt (but eggplant of course purged w/salt so salty enough even if you rinse). Added basil, mint and lemon zest because I don’t have any lemongrass in garden as of yet. Lemongrass would go very well w/this dish.
Traditional fettuccine noodles, bean or rice noodles work very well. Meal was a total hit! Easy too. Thank you Erica!
Melissa P. on 5.22.2010
This look really yummy, I want to try it and I hope the kids will like it too! Just wondering, were the Broccoli pieces added at all? Should they be partially cooked first?
Country Girl in the City on 5.22.2010
I made this last night and it was yummy! I did find that there was not enough sauce with the noodles and should have added some more stock, so my noodles turned out a bit sticky. The spiciness was just about right for me, could have used a bit more. Hubby would have like even more spice. Overall, very delicious and also enjoyed by our dinner guests.
Lips on 5.21.2010
Hi it’s my first time commenting here. It’s nice to see how curry noodles is becoming mainstream in the US. The key is anything goes as long as it’s yummy. Here’s more tips and suggestions for curry noodles lovers!!
1) You can use any type of noodles and meat/seafood/vegan substitute. Even coconut milk can be substituted with milk.
2) On rice noodles – they tend to soak up gravy very fast and can get soggy if left out for too long. We prefer to blanch the noodles seperately so that you can customize the noodle/curry portions individually. Just blanch till al dente if there’s no instruction. If prepping ahead, soak in cold water first to soften the noodles and blanch right before serving.
3) For kids, skip the thai chilli sauce to start with. Make it yummy and non spicy. If it’s too bland you can add more red curry paste or the thai sweet chilli sauce depending on which is the less spicy option.
4) For curry lovers, use the red curry paste generously. In fact, you can skip the thai sweet chilli sauce and replace that entirely with the red curry paste for a real spicy treat!
Have a YUMMY week!!
Lisa S on 5.20.2010
To solve the noodles soaking up the sauce problem, you can presoak the rice noodles in hot water to soften. Scoop some noodles into the bottom of an individual bowl then ladle the chicken and sauce over the top. Really good!
Jamey MacLeod on 5.20.2010
Made this for dinner last night. The flavor was wonderful. I put twice the red curry paste in but I think I could have used more. Thanks for the great recipe!
JFS in IL on 5.20.2010
Got supplies at my trusty local Oriental Mart (where I get my monthly 25-lb bag of jasmine rice – yum!). Lady there insists that that flat rice noodles need to be soaked in hot water until they look transparent before adding to the soup. Otherwise, she insisted I would have to get the rice vermicelli. She had no flat rice noodles that did not need to be pre-soaked (and that place has NOODLES! Just not the brand in the photo above.)
Anyway – am making this tomorrow, after all the leftover meatballs are gone. Can’t wait!!!
nika on 5.20.2010
I hope that this recipe become a favourite for everyone!! Just remember that is is very forgiving and very versatile… you can throw in any other vegetable, and many other thai inspired flavours… lemongrass, lime leaves, pineapple. Or finish it with a bit of sesame oil!
Thank you Erica Lea for recreating this recipe perfectly!! It was an absolute honour!
Erika (TK) on 5.20.2010
What an excellent post, Erica. As soon as I saw it, I knew I’d want to make it. What an awesome choice, and very beautifully done. Thanks to Nikki for the recipe!
decafdebi on 5.20.2010
Can’t wait to make this. It looks like it’s going to be a close match for a dish I get at a local Thai noodle restaurant…for $9.50 a bowl! I should be able to feed my entire family and have some left over for lunch for the same price. Kudos to you, Erica!
Erica Lea on 5.20.2010
: ) – The chili sauce is Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. I have never used whole grain rice noodles, but I’ll bet thy would work! I used a 14oz. package of rice noodles, which I think was a little too much. But I just added more chicken broth and it was fine!
Leslie: My pot is 3.5 quarts or 3.3 liters.
boredgoldfish on 5.20.2010
Fantastic – I have everythingI need to make this in the pantry and fridge, and you’ve just solved my what-to-have-for-dinner-tonight dilemma! My mouth is already watering!
Leslie on 5.19.2010
Erica, I don’t know if I have a pot big enough but I’ll go out and buy one ’cause this looks so good! Do you have an idea how many quarts your pot is?
Thanks!
KK on 5.19.2010
YUM!!! Didn’t quite have all the ingredients, so I adjusted it to what I had on hand. I didn’t have ginger, so I used garlic, and didn’t have fresh chicken, so I used cooked, shredded chicken. I also used yellow curry powder and I sauteed the veggies in the coconut cream. My family will LOVE this dish!
Marilyn on 5.19.2010
And it’s gluten-free! Thank you, thank you, thank you,!!
:) on 5.19.2010
What kind of chili sauce? And also will substituting whole-grain or brown rice pasta work well…and how much pasta to use?
Thanks!
:) on 5.19.2010
What kind of chili sauce? ….and can whole-grain or brown rice pasta be substituted (and how many ounces of pasta0?
Sarah B on 5.19.2010
Wow – what a perfect recipe for next week! Printing right now!!!
Hjcary on 5.19.2010
That looks so yummy. My hubby and I would love it, the kids not so much :(. I will have to try it and have an alternative meal available for the kids.
jill t on 5.19.2010
i am heading to the store today so i can make this for dinner! thank you!
freckles2stars on 5.19.2010
One word. YUMMO! I have all this in the pantry and will be making it tonight. HMM , can I wait that long? hank you for the recipe, girls.
Erica Lea on 5.19.2010
Thank you, everyone, for your very kind comments!
Katie on 5.18.2010
Oh my! Anything with coconut milk and red curry wins in my my book! Yummm!
patti on 5.18.2010
this looks so yummy! can’t wait to try it.
Ree | The Pioneer Woman on 5.18.2010
I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now. I just died.
Erica, this looks amazingly amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. (And thank you, Nikki, for the yummy recipe!)
I won’t rest until I eat this.
Amy from She Wears Many Hats (missamy) on 5.18.2010
Beautiful Erica! Really lovely. Will you give me lessons one day? And the recipe sounds like the perfect warm weather soup served with a nice side salad. Yummy!
TraceyJoy on 5.18.2010
looks incredible. I’ll have to save this one.
mannadonn on 5.18.2010
I think this looks delicious! I love coconut and curry is yummy. However, curry gives me migraines so I won’t be able to have this. Thanks for sharing!
Brandi on 5.18.2010
SO excited to make a vegan version of this! I bet it will still be delicious.
Wei-Wei on 5.18.2010
I’m ashamed – the coconut turned me off. I’m not a fan of coconut, so I don’t really like red or green curries…
I guess I’ll give this one a try, though? 
everydayisgourmet on 5.18.2010
beautiful job Erica! and this recipe sound amazing! I think I need to make this :))
Jessica @ How Sweet on 5.18.2010
Serving this with peanut butter and toasted coconut just sounds divine. I love rice noodles – delicious!