Deliciously messy and soul comforting. What more could you ask from a recipe?!
Curry is wonderfully versatile. Most curry dishes are soup or stew-like, and just like soups and stews, they can have any range of flavors. Curry is simply a blend of spices. You can buy the spices already blended, and the brand of the spice will bring its own unique flavor. Or, you can make your own curry blend.
I’m still working on training my noise and taste buds to make my own curry, so this recipe takes advantage of pre-mixed red curry paste, which contains red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger, salt, shallots, lime, and other spices. The pre-mixed curry pastes and powders can save you a lot of time. Plus adding just a teaspoon or two to a recipe can bring it from bland to wow.
This curry dish is sweet and not spicy at all. The wide udon noodles are chewy and slop up the broth wonderfully. The curry broth is creamy from the coconut milk. The tofu adds some protein to make this curry more of a main dish. Although, if you don’t like tofu or don’t do soy, you could replace it with some seitan, garbanzo beans, or other protein of your liking. Don’t skip on the garnishes; the peanuts especially add a fantastic crunch.
- 8 ounces wide udon noodles
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste
- 12 ounces extra-firm tofu
- 1 14 ounce can coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 lime, juiced
- Peanuts, shallots, cilantro
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender (about 8 minutes). Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking, make the soup. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, and curry paste; stir to distribute the paste. Cook until fragrant, about two minutes.
- Chop tofu into small bite-size chunks. The shape and size of the tofu is your preference. I prefer 1/4 inch cubes. Add the tofu to the saucepan and stir to coat with the curry paste.
- Stir in the coconut milk, broth, turmeric, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and let cook gently for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the lime juice and add the noodles.
- To serve, use tongs to gently place some noodles into a bowl. Top the noodles with a ladle or two of the broth. Garnish with peanuts, slivered shallots, and minced cilantro.