Curry noodle breakfast

currynoodlebreakfast

Originally uploaded by mosli

Are you sick of the same soggy cereal? Tired of toast? Bagels becomming blah? D and I were tired of our breakfast items and decided to branch out and try some options unusual for this part of the world. Last week we tried a vegetarian version of Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup that’s all about the condiments. It was excellent, so we thought we’d try another version. This is a Thai curry noodle soup that we had this morning. The warmth and spice really wakes you up, and definately puts freezer waffles to shame.

 

Curry Noodle Soup (for breakfast or anytime!)

• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 2 heaping tbsp thai red curry paste
• Rice noodles (I used pad thai style)
• nappa cabbage cut in strips
• shreaded carrot

Prepare noodles according to directions on package. In a medium saucepan, heat veggie broth. Dissolve in red curry paste, then add coconut milk.  In bowls, place desired amount of rice noodles, cabbage, and carrots. Ladle curry broth over the top. Serve with condiments like chili sauce, fish sauce, gingerpaste, etc, that can be added for each person’s taste.

Thai peanut butter noodle salad

thaipeanutnoodles

Originally uploaded by mosli

 

Peanut butter is a staple of my diet. I used to eat a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch. In college, it was my breakfast on-the-go with a large coffee. Oh man, now my mouth is watering… If you’ve never had peanut butter and jelly with coffee, you are missing out.
In England, I was told that pbj was too sweet, and I should try a peanut butter with cheese sandwich (good cheddar, not processed). Now that is nice!

This noodle salad is a recipe I got from my friend Tobin who is an awesome cook. Its served at room temperature, but I also love it straight out of the refridgerator. An extra bonus is that it makes a great bento filler because you really don’t need to worry about keeping it refridgerated.

 

Thai Peanut Noodle Salad

• 1 lb fettuccine or similar flat noodle
• 4 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice venegar
• 1 tbsp ground ginger or 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp red pepper flake
• 4-6 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup roasted peanuts

Cook noodles, drain, rinse, and toss with sesame oil. In a small bowl combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinnegar, ginger, and pepper flake, blending well. Mix noodles and sauce together in a large bowl, then fold in green onions and bell pepper. Top servings with peanuts

Thai sticky rice with mango

stickyrice

Originally uploaded by mosli

mmmm…. yummy. The first time I had Thai sticky rice was at Sweet Basil & La Filipiniana Restaurant in Pittsburgh. D and I braved the frigid December weather to go out for our anniversary. After a bottle of wine and heart-of-palm curry, we decided to splurge on dessert: something we almost never do. The sticky rice was wonderful, surrounded by artistic patterns of kiwi and strawberry sauces. It was so good I knew I had to have it again.

 

Thai Sticky Rice

• 1 cup sticky rice (glutinous or sweet rice)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup sugar

cook rice in a rice cooker with 1 cup water. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring coconut milk and sugar to a boil. After the rice is done, put in a small dish and pour sugar coconut milk over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the liquid as been absorbed. I like it with mangos or other fruit like strawberries, kiwi,  or starfruit.

Bento: Thai cucumber salad and dumplings

bento13

Originally uploaded by mosli

Last night I made a quick thai yellow curry (Trader Joe’s sauce – not too shabby) with steamed veggies and tofu. Now, I can’t just leave dinner at one dish, what about a salad? So, in my family’s grand tradition of making things up (crafts, stories, recipies…) I improvised a Thai cucumber salad. Yes, I could have gone to the Thai cuisine cookbook staring at me on the bookshelf, but were’s the adventure in that? Thankfully, it tasted great, and left pleanty for lunch! So here in D’s side bento is a swirl of thai cucmber sald, veggie gyoza, shumai, and kiwi flowers with strawberries. The little green hamster bottle has soy sauce for the gyoza and shumai.

Improvised Thai Cucumber Salad

• 1 large cucumber
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (veggie version)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp rice vinnegar
• 1/2 clove crushed or finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flake

In a cup, mix fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, and pepper flake.  Peel the cucumber and remove the ends. Slice the cucumber into long, thin ribbons. I find that cutting the cucumber in half long ways, then in slices makes it much easier to handle. Put cucumber slices in a bowl and toss with the dressing mixture. You can eat it right away, but the longer you let it sit, the more the flavours will combine.