Nutty Coconut Red Curry Noodles

Entree

Do you ever notice that things trying to taste like things they’re not taste like crap?

Vegan cheese will never taste like dairy cheese because it’s not cheese.

Coffee-flavored tea doesn’t taste like coffee because it’s not coffee.

Most recently I’ve found that non-wheat pasta has nothing on the taste or texture of whole wheat pasta because…wait for it…it’s not made of wheat.

That doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with less than stellar alternatives. Just pick things for what they are not what they aren’t.

Exhibit A: Brown rice Pad Thai noodles.

thai curry noodles

These have been lurking in the shadowy depths of my makeshift laundry room pantry {because my real pantry is tiiiiny} for months, just waiting for me to make Pad Thai.

But Pad Thai is just so good. I’ve put off attempting to replicate an allergy friendly/vegan version in fear that it won’t live up to the original.

Finally, on one of those days when I have no idea what I’m making when I start cooking, I grabbed the Pad Thai noodles and started whipping things together.

shrimp noodles with peppers and carrots

The result? An immediate trip to the store for more Pad Thai noodles. Forget the imposter wannabe wheat pasta- these were meant taste exactly the way they taste: delicious.

While this isn’t Pad Thai at all, it satisfies my Thai-food craving, meets my allergy-friendly needs, and is equally delicious for the non-allergy-concerned {aka the husband}. Best of all, it comes together in minutes. The longest part is waiting for the water to boil.

You can easily sub the shrimp for tofu or chicken if you prefer. It’s also great with other Asian noodles like Mai Fun. Soba noodles would probably be good too if you eat wheat.

I make this at least once a week, yet I’ve never slowed down enough to take a decent picture before diving in. Priorities. Winking smile

thai noodles with peanut coconut sauce

Nutty Coconut Red Curry Noodles

thia red curry noodles

by with a Side of Sneakers

Ingredients

  • 1 box brown rice Pad Thai noodles {I like Annie Chun’s}
  • 1 carrot, sliced in thin strips
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
  • 2 cups shrimp {I use pre-cooked, frozen shrimp}
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
  • 1 tsp minced garlic + extra for shrimp/veggies
  • dried basil to taste
  • sriracha to taste

Instructions

Prepare noodles according to package directions.

In small saucepan, combine coconut milk, vegetable broth, red curry paste, peanut butter, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

While sauce & noodles are cooking, sauté peppers, carrots, and shrimp in sauté pan. Add extra garlic, ginger, basil, or black pepper as desired. Cook until shrimp are pink.

Pour sauce over shrimp & veggie mixture. Add noodles. Stir to combine.

Serve with sriracha to taste.

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Are you a fan of Thai food? Or makeshift Thai food? I’m a sucker for tom ka gai soup, Pad Thai, and of course, mangoes with sticky rice.

Other Thai favorites:

Thai Tomato Soup

Coconut Curry Soup

Cilantro Lime Rice, Chipotle Style

Recipe

Do you know what one of the most requested fast food copycat recipes is?

Chipotle rice.

chipotle rice recipe copycat

That yummy, fluffy, white rice loaded with rich Mexican flavors of lime and cilantro.

Luckily, it’s probably the easiest fast food recipe to replicate- and not so bad on the health scale either, especially if you swap in brown rice.

First you have to know how to cook rice to give it that great restaurant quality texture. This isn’t the time time for instant, 5 minute, or boil-in-bag rice. It’s time for the real deal. I promise it’s worth it.

brown basmati rice

The traditional method to cook rice is to match the liquid to rice ratio of 2-1.5 to 1; bring to a boil; then simmer until the water is absorbed, often up to an hour.

It works fine, but you often end up with wet, heavy, gummy rice. No way you’re matching Chipotle’s style with that.

Instead, try this:

How to Cook Fluffy Rice {without a rice cooker}

It’s as easy as spaghetti! Bring a pot of water to boil. Add desired rice quantity. Boil uncovered for 40 minutes. Drain rice {just enough to get rid of excess water- don’t try to completely drain.} So far it’s just like cooking pasta.

Put rice back in pot and cover. Let sit off the heat for 10 minutes. The final 10 minutes allows the rice to steam in the remaining moisture. When it’s done, you’ll have fluffy, light, airy, rice- even when making the traditionally heavier brown rice. Easy!

how to cook brown rice

Now that you know how to cook rice perfectly, let’s make it Chipotle style. Like I said, beyond easy.

I like to use brown basmati rice for this recipe, but if you must, go ahead and use white basmati rice.

Cilantro Lime Rice | Chipotle Rice

by Heather Neal

Keywords: entree side vegan vegetarian Southwest Mexican

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked brown basmati rice
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together and serve.

See above for the best method of how to cook brown basmati rice.

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P.S. The winner of the Nasoya tofu giveaway is….

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Email your info so you can get your prize!

 

Also, don’t miss my 36 week pregnancy update on tiny sneakers!