Coconut curry stir fry with rice noodles
Coconut milk and red curry is, hands down, one of the most divine combinations on all of planet earth. Absolute no-brainer. And although it's unbeatable from an authentic Thai place, it's such a tasty thing to make at home for dinner or in advance for weekday lunches with whatever vegetables/proteins you have in your fridge. I especially love it because once you have purchased a couple of the pantry staples, the rest can really be improvised. Thai red curry paste, coconut milk, rice noodles (or rice!): these are your staples. For veggies I use the ones pictured here, or broccoli, spinach, kale, mushrooms, snow peas, snap peas, etc. Peanuts are another great addition. And I personally am indifferent to adding meat to stir fry, but that may be seen as less than desirable, so of course chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, etc. would be perf here.
PS: on the subject of Thai, this steak and noodle salad is everything
Coconut curry stir fry with rice noodles
Yields about 4 servings
1 lb rice noodles (I use A Taste of Thai straight cut noodles)
1 T vegetable or canola oil
½ tsp pure sesame oil
½ cup diced red onion
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 carrots, chopped at an angle into discs
½ head cauliflower or so, chopped into bite sized pieces
Big handful of green beans, chopped in half if they're long
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Thai red curry paste (up to 3 T, depending on the intensity of the paste you use)
1 can coconut milk
1 T soy sauce
½ tsp Sriracha sauce, or more to taste (or more for serving)
¼ tsp sugar, or more to taste
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Cook rice noodles according to package directions, and drain and set aside. Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium to medium-low heat (my electric stove is very sensitive so I tend to use a lower heat). Add onions and peppers, and cook for 5 minutes or so, until just beginning to soften. Add in carrots, cauliflower, and green beans and cook for another 3-4 minutes or so. Lastly, toss in garlic and stir for a minute more until fragrant. Stir in curry paste. Then pour in coconut milk, soy sauce, Sriracha, salt, pepper, and sugar, and stir until the sauce mixture is uniform and well incorporated—cook for another few minutes. Taste for seasoning and heat, adding salt or a little more sugar if it's needed or additional Sriracha for more spice. Now add noodles to the pan and use tongs to toss, separating any noodles that have clumped together. Serve in wide bowls, topped with a couple extra spoonfuls of sauce and fresh cilantro, as well as lime wedges and Sriracha or chili flakes on the side.