Thai Curry Noodle Soup


This recipe is featured in our Recipe of the Day Newsletter. Sign up for it here to have our test kitchen-approved recipes delivered to your inbox! I'll be honest, I have a slight obsession with noodles. As a teen I ate cheap sodium filled ramen that should definitely not be a major part of anyone's diet. But I grew up, started cooking and realized a delicious bowl of noodle soup is incredibly easy to make and much more satisfyingly good for your body. There are so many types of noodle bowls and soups in Asian cuisine. The choices are basically endless. Particularly the ones in Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine require you to simmer broths over several hours and with good reason. But this version that is Thai curry based comes together in about 40 minutes. Any good broth starts with a strong base, and that’s why I chose to make my own curry paste instead of store bought. Sure, there are definitely some good brands out there, but nothing beats the homemade stuff. This version has red chillies, kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste, ginger, garlic, shallots, galangal, fresh turmeric and salt. I wish you could smell this stuff it is almost intoxicating, in a good way though!! A key thing to remember here is to take your time and sauté the curry paste for a full fifteen minutes scraping constantly so that all the alliums are cooked through, or else you will end up with a bitter broth and slurping bitter soup is not fun. Shrimp paste is a staple in Thai cuisine, but you could skip it if you want to make it vegan or vegetarian friendly (I do think it adds a lot of umami flavors which would otherwise be missed!). Using full fat coconut milk makes the broth luscious and creamy, coating the flat rice noodles perfectly. Feel free to use a noodle style of your choice. You can customize the toppings as you want, I went with tofu, Thai basil leaves, bean sprouts, and mushrooms. Customarily it is served with a bunch of seasonings like lime, chiles, sugar and salt so that you can adjust it your liking. Is there anything better than a big old bowl of soup with noodles? I think not! So what are you waiting for? Remember to wear a bib and slurrrrp away!

Ingredients
Gluten free
∙ Serves 4-6
Seafood
1 1/2 tsp Shrimp paste
Produce
1 Bean sprouts
12 Chillies, whole dry red
1 bunch Cilantro, stems
8 oz Cremini mushrooms
6 cloves Garlic
1 1 inch piece Ginger
4 Kaffir lime, leaves
1 stalk Lemongrass
1 Lime, wedges
2 Limes
8 oz Shallots
7 Thai basil, leaves
1 Thai basil
Refrigerated
1 pack Tofu, medium firm
Canned Goods
2 (13.5 ounce)cans Coconut milk, full fat
1 2/3 cups Curry paste
Condiments
1 Chili garlic paste
2 tbsp Peanut butter, unsweetened smooth
2 tbsp Tamari sauce
Pasta & Grains
16 oz Flat rice noodles
Baking & Spices
2 tbsp Brown sugar, light
1 2 inch piece Galangal
1 Kosher salt
1 2 inch piece Turmeric, peeled or 1 teaspoon turmeric, fresh powder
Oils & Vinegars
3 tbsp Canola oil
Liquids
2 1/2 cups Water

Full recipe