It had come to my notice a few days ago, when I was strongly craving this Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, that I was spending a lot more time cooking than actually eating. This is not to say that I have been burdening myself with tedious and slow-cooking meals. In fact, it was quite the contrary. While my meals have been loaded with quick and simple salads, soups and the occasional sandwich, it seemed strange to me that I was eating in less than half the time I took to prepare the meal at hand.
I have recently begun to have lunch at my desk if only to try and get as much work done as I possibly could cram into my day. With my food sitting on my right and my laptop on the left, it’s almost impossible for me to sit back and actually take a moment to even look at my plate, let alone enjoy it. Something as delicious as this Coconut Curry Noodle Soup certainly did not deserve to be treated that way! And this is what has been bugging me since the time I started doing it.
There are piles of emails flagged for responses, a ton of article ideas bookmarked for research, a growing tower of books (which I now use as a side table to hold my morning cup of coffee) for review, and the odd request or two for help with a menu plan, that are all screaming for my undivided attention. Well, what can I say but that it’s hard trying to balance your work and hobby at the same time! Even harder when they both are interlinked, like in my case. That was until I found Rachael Ray.
I was first introduced to the great RR a few years ago with her show 30-Minute Meals. Like many, I thought she was too perky to be sane. I thought it was crazy of her to bang pots and pans to flatten meat and create acronyms like EVOO and GB (which I must add is a wonderful trick I learnt from her!). But what I did admire was her penchant to get really creative in the kitchen and make everyday food seem exotic and exciting.
A few days ago, as I got ready to take my lunch into my home office, I had the sudden urge to stop and see what was on TV. A quick scan and I found myself taking a seat with The Rachael Ray Show. She was just as I remembered her: quirky, overly excited and bubbly. But even then, I found myself grinning at her silly jokes. She passed around the ‘snack of the day’ to her audience as I took the first bite of my lunch. By the end of the episode, I had polished my plate, relishing every bite and enjoying what I ate. I tried doing the same the next day. And the day after. And the day after that.
It’s been more than a week since, and my lunches – like this Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, though take hardly any time to cook, seem to take a whole hour to be eaten. And not to mention, enjoyed. All thanks to the Queen of Quick!
Coconut Curry Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp light cooking oil
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp curry paste (red or yellow)
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup boneless chicken/tofu cubed
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 3 cups chicken/vegetable stock
- 1 stalk lemongrass bruised and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 lb noodles of choice
- 2 cups chopped bok choy
- salt & pepper to taste
- fresh coriander leaves for garnish
- finely chopped chillies for garnish
- lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a deep pan, and sauté garlic and curry paste till fragrant. Add in onions and chicken/tofu, and saute till lightly browned.
- Add in coconut milk, stock and lemongrass, and let it come to a boil on low heat.
- Add in mushrooms and noodles, and cook covered till noodles are tender and done. Stir in bok choy, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, add garnish with coriander leaves, chillies and a dash of lemon juice. Ladle in large bowls and serve piping hot.
If you enjoyed this recipe, then you will surely love my Thai Curry Noodle Soup with Tofu & Veggies recipe as well.
Tried this recipe? Leave a Comment and let me know, also Rate it by clicking the number of stars on the recipe card. Want to share your version with me? Tag me on Instagram @hookedonheat
Very nice recipe and thanks for sharing it.
hi I am vegetarian and would love to make it with tofu, this recipe looks really amazing and I am definitely going to try it.
OMG this looks DIVINE Merci!!!!
Myra
Wonderful photos! Looks fantastic!
I tried this last night after reading all of the reviews because I had to stay really late at work. I am sad 🙁 I really wanted to like this. I used Thai green curry paste and I also omitted the lemongrass because I didn’t have any. I also added broccoli instead of bok choy because my husband hates the texture of bok choy. The noodles were overcooked too, which was my fault for letting them sit that last 5 minutes. I am a good cook and was surprized at how bad this easy recipe turned out. My husband thanked me for my effort, but we threw it out and made one of the kids mac and cheese boxes 😉 Expensive mistake! Help! I am wondering if the lemongrass really makes that much of a difference?
I’m sorry it turned out so bad for you Kim. The lemongrass does add a nice lemony zest of flavour to the soup, and with green curry paste, it would go extremely well. It may also depend on how much curry paste you used – because green curry is slightly more pungent and robust in flavour as compared to yellow curry paste, you may want to try adding a little less of it next time. There’s really not so much I can say here, other than play around with the flavours a few times to find a combination that you’ll enjoy. Hope this helps!
I love your site, having just discovered it a month or two ago. Am having a great time going through the archives. Perhaps this is a dumb question, but what kind of noodles do you use that can cook in five minutes but retain some substance?
Thanks Rooney, it’s great to hear you’re loving my recipes! Almost all the noodles you find nowadays can be cooked within 2-5 minutes. Be it rice noodles, instant ramen or sometimes even spaghetti, they may all require simply a couple of minutes in boiling water to get done. For a quicker fix, I love using fresh noodles from the grocery store that need merely a few seconds under running water to separate them. Just make sure you read the instructions on the pack carefully and follow them accordingly. Hope that helps!
Hi. This looks delicious. There is no measurement for the mushrooms, though. How many and of what type?
Thanks, and I love the book club idea, too 🙂
Kim
Hi Kim! Since this is quite the create-as-you-go kinda dish, feel free to add in any kind of mushrooms you fancy. I personally love shitake, button or oyster ones, but I’m sure any other would taste great as well. I mentioned 1 cup of sliced mushrooms in the ingredients list, which ideally would depend on the kind of mushrooms you use.
This looks really good! Can I use curry powder in place of curry paste?
come here after a long time….and I’ve missed so much….the bowl looks so beautiful….temptation and nutrition in one!! that’s a killer combo!!
That bowl of curry noodle looks like the SE Asian (S’pore, Malaysian) Laksa!
This is truly inspirational! Thanks. I think I’ll organise a curry mee party soon with two or three different kinds of noodles.
Ooh, that’s a superb idea Argus! I love hosting curry parties! I usually make about 2-3 different kinds and set up a buffet with loads of toppings. The guests serve themselves, creating their own signature blends, and I’m happy to just sit back and watch everyone guzzle it down! 🙂
What a beautiful looking bowl of curry! I would love to dig into that.
Definitely surpasses the everyday 30-minute meal.
This is a must try, after reading through the ingredients I knew I wanted a bowl full!
Wow! the picture is so good.. and I am sure the food as well. Will try it soon.
Hi Meena, my first visit to your site. I really like the layout and your great narrative that brings the recipes to life. Food should never be laid out in clinical isolation! Thanks!
Amazing picture. This is my first time here and i am pleasantly surprised. Love the freshness of the picture 🙂
Hey – just made a tofu version and a chicken version (since I’m veggie and my husband’s not). Both were fabulous! we’re eating it right now! thanks for the recipe! I substituted cabbage for the bok choy and added baby corn.
That looks fabulous. I’m a huge huge fan of curry noodles. My favorites are the ones at Zao’s Noodle Bar in California (not sure if its a country-wide chain). Anyhoo – thanks so much – I’m gonna have to try this. Not sure if we get Bok Choy here, but maybe will substitute spinach…and add some babycorn. Mmmm. Gonna get started. Thanks!
Oh forgot to mention – U look so bubbly from that foto. Glad to associate a face to the blog and the name!
The bowl looks so delish and healthy – As much as I hate her adjectives about cumin being smoky and earthy and the way she butchers Indian cooking ( if at all attempted at ) – she is hard to ignore. I actually fell in love with her magazine – it has a lot of recipes worth trying –
that woman gets too much airtime to be ignored I suppose, lol.. but with that snap, I may just start watching her again… amazing colours. I make mine in a similar fashion but with more veggies, no meat and very few noodles… I hate low carb 🙁
Yummy It looks so delicious. I would much more preferd to jump to the bowl and eat them than jump tp the recipe 🙂
that’s such a lovely pic and healthy looking dish 🙂
This bowl has everything – color, taste and texture. I am gonna try this with tofu.
RR may not be a born chef, but she does have a way with words, and yes, her ideas for quick meals are definitely great! the soup looks nice Meena:)
Sounds good. Looks yumm…
Nothing like a perfect bowl of hearty comforting soup to calm you down and get you back into the life energized! Ohh I love her GB idea too, sure does save a ton of time!! Glad she brought you back on track 🙂
Now that is a colorful bowl of curry noodle. It looks spectacular and perfect for the cold dreary days. Thanks so much for the entry!
Damn your fabulous picture woman, you have me rooting for RR!!
🙂
Smita