Some Like It Hot; Others Not!
Even though it was a dreadful winter and the spring has had more chilly days than not, we are looking forward to summer and the Tanglewood picnic season. As I was working on the one-pan Thai-inspired noodle dish that I wrote about for this week’s Berkshire Eagle, I found it works well both hot or at room temperature, making it a great option for a picnic on the lawn at Tanglewood, easy to eat with just a fork.
THAI ONE ON
by Elizabeth Baer
My husband can’t pass up a good deal; thus we have eleven steaks in the freezer right now. Even when he has combed through the circulars and made a list of items on sale, he often doesn’t check the pantry, which means that I am then stuck trying to fit the seventh jar of mayonnaise on the shelf, trying to decide if I really feel like pulling them all out to organize by expiration date. Sigh.
I actually have an excel spread sheet for the freezer (technically the three freezers we have), but somehow doing so for the pantry feels too cumbersome and less useful. Every so often, though, it gets to be too much and I have to take everything out and do a major reorganization.
This is how I came to discover we had four cans of Thai curry paste tucked in the back corner of a shelf, two yellow curry paste and two red. I had to start using them.
The thought of a one-pan noodle dish gave me the inspiration, and with package of rice noodles, a can of coconut milk, and some vegetables I got to work. This turned out to be a new favorite and I have since made it both with yellow and red Thai curry paste. I’ve not yet tried it with green, which is more herbaceous, but I am sure it would be just as delicious.
The assets of this recipe are many: it’s gluten-free and it’s vegan (without the optional fish sauce), and it’s equally good hot, room temperature, or cold, making it a great addition to your Tanglewood picnic rotation. If you want a protein alongside, grill something with a Thai- or Asian-inspired marinade. My husband can’t eat shellfish, but I am guessing you could put some shrimp along with the vegetables to steam on top of the noodles as they cook.
THAI-INSPIRED ONE PAN NOODLES
Serves 2 as a main, 3-4 as a side
Note: The minor challenges of this recipe include the noodles and the curry paste. Different brands of noodles will not need the same amount of time to become tender, and different types and brands of Thai curry paste have different levels of spiciness. Experiment for your preferred noodle texture and taste.
INGREDIENTS:
7 ounces medium rice noodles, such as for pad Thai
3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola
½ small red bell pepper cut into 2-inch batons
1 small carrot cut into 2-inch batons
3-4 scallions, white and light green parts chopped, dark green chopped for garnish if desired (or 1 shallot or ½ small onion, sliced thin)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1-2 tablespoons Thai curry paste (red, yellow, or green)
One 13-14-ounce can coconut milk
1½ teaspoons Asian fish sauce (optional)
4-6 ounces firm green vegetable, such as green beans, snap peas, or broccoli florets, trimmed
Serve with any or all of the following: lime wedges, mango slices, cucumber slices, fresh mint or cilantro, chopped scallion
DIRECTIONS:
Soak the noodles in hot water for 5 minutes and drain.
In a large sauté pan that has a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, carrot, and scallions (or substitute) and sauté for 5-8 minutes until soft and the edges are just starting to caramelize. Add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for another 30-60 seconds.
Add the curry paste and stir to diffuse the flavors in the pan. Add the can of coconut milk (if some is solid and some is liquid at this point, not to worry) and the fish sauce. Stir to combine, making sure any coconut milk solids have fully melted, and bring to a simmer.
Add the drained noodles to the pan, along with ½-¾ cup hot water, making sure the noodles are mostly covered. Place the firm green vegetable on top of the noodles where they can steam. Cover and allow to simmer for 5 minutes, checking halfway through to make sure the liquid hasn’t totally evaporated and the noodles haven’t gotten too soft, adding more water if necessary. Serve immediately in bowls as a saucy noodle dish, or allow to sit for the noodles to continue to absorb more liquid, or bring to room temperature and refrigerate for your next picnic.
Serve with lime wedges, mango slices, cucumber, mint or chopped scallion, if desired.