Thai Red Curry Soup

This soup is a go-to warm, comforting, and full-of-flavor soup.  Its one that I don't make as often as I should!  My husband and I really like Red Curry.  We think its our favorite type of curry out there!  Here's a soup I found on the internet, but I completely tweaked it, made it vegan, and boosted the flavor a bit.

Thai Red Curry Soup
yield: 8-10 servings

1 TB olive oil
2-3 TB fresh grated ginger*
1 stalk lemon grass, minced*
1 TB Red Curry Paste*
4 cups chicken-like broth or vegetable broth
3 TB Soy Sauce or Tamari (which is gf soy sauce)*
2 TB sweetener (I use agave nectar or organic brown sugar)
3 cans coconut milk*
1 red bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
1 green or yellow bell pepper, sliced in 1-inch pieces
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1 block of tofu, cubed, and browned in olive oil*
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped*

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2.  Cook and stir the ginger, lemongrass, and curry paste for 1-2 minutes in the oil.
3.  Add the broth, while stirring continually. 
4.  Stir in the soy sauce and sweetener.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
5.  Then, stir in the coconut milk, veggies and fried tofu.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the veggies are tender but still crunchy.
6.  Stir in the lime juice, salt, and cilantro.  Serve!

* You can find these ingredients in any Asian Market
Note:  With the veggies that I like to put in here, you can add whatever you like to eat.  If you like bamboo shoots, you may add those if you wish as well as anything else!

Peanut Asian Noodles

 I made this dish at the Fargo Health Expo 2012 in July, and everyone loved it...  So, I thought I would share this with you guys (aka: my "internet peeps.")

This recipe is an adaptation from Chef Chloe's cookbook entitled, "Chloe's Kitchen."  (If you don't have this cookbook, you need to get it.  Now!  It has some amazing recipes in it, and its very reasonably priced.  You can find it on Amazon.com.) 

Chloe states that this is her favorite recipe from her cookbook, and it is mine as well.  

This is bursting with flavor.  I love making this, especially for company!  I add a lot more cilantro than she does, and I combine it together with everything else instead of using it just as a garnish, like she does.  The flavor of the coconut, garlic, and ginger, go very well with the fresh grated carrots, green onions, and cilantro!  I usually omit the chili-garlic sauce (which can be found at any Asian market, by the way), because I am still nursing Zoë, and she doesn't like spice.  But, I think its even better without the spiciness, but that's my own opinion, now tell me yours!!

Peanut Asian Noodles
Yield: 4 servings

1 pound brown rice noodles (I prefer spaghetti style for this)
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup water
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Tamari soy sauce
½ cup organic peanut butter (or sun butter, tahini, or almond butter) (See "TIP")
1 TB chili-garlic sauce, optional (omit if you do not want spice)
1-2 tsp fresh grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 TB lime juice
1 TB toasted sesame oil
4-6 green onions, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and shredded
½ cup peanuts, roughly chopped, for garnish, optional
¼-1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1.  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil.  Add brown rice noodles and cook according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.  Return noodles to pot.
2.  Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining coconut milk, water, maple syrup, soy sauce, peanut butter, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, and garlic in a medium saucepan.  Let cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, until sauce comes together and thickens.  Remove from heat and mix in lime juice and sesame oil.
3.  Toss hot noodles with the sauce, scallions, carrots, and cilantro.  Garnish with peanuts (if desired) and serve.  Any leftovers can be served warm or cold the next day.

TIP:  If you have an allergy to peanuts, use sun, almond, or sesame butter in place of peanut butter.  (The toasted sesame oil gives a nice pea-nutty flavor anyway.)

Thai Red Curry

This is my recipe for Thai Red Curry (Gang Daang).   And it is SOO good... you can find the ingredients at any local Asian Market.
 

Thai Red Curry

Yield: 4 servings

3 cans coconut milk
3 Tbsp red curry paste (or Massaman)
1 package extra firm tofu
15 fresh Thai basil leaves
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1-2 carrots (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 head of cauliflower
1/2 eggplant (optional)
2 Tbsp agave
1/2 tsp Celtic Grey sea salt


1.  Start by cutting tofu into squares and fry it in an iron skillet with some olive oil on med-high heat.  Sprinkle granulated garlic and some salt on top of them.  Then flip them when they get golden/dark brown.
2.  Meanwhile, chop all the veggies.  I will usually throw everything into a bowl after I chop it.
3.  When the tofu is done, in a wok or large skillet, turn on the heat to med-high. Let the pan get a little hot. Put one can of coconut milk in it with curry paste.  Saute that in the coconut milk for about 8 minutes or so.  Halfway through, add the fried tofu.  (The point is to bring out the flavors in the paste, so let it simmer until the oil starts to come out.)
4.  Then, add the other 2 cans coconut milk, stir well. add veggies, around 15 Thai basil leaves, bamboo shoots. Let it come to a boil, and simmer on med-low for about 10-15 minutes, until the veggies start to cook. At this point, I just let it cook on low and check on it every so often to see if its done.
5.  Add salt and agave, this brings the flavors to life.
6.  Serve over a bed of Jasmine or Brown rice!