Thai Inspired Red Curry Noodles Recipe (Vegan)
Make authentic Thai food right in your home kitchen. These flavourful Thai Red Curry Noodles are perfect for a weeknight meal. Ditch the takeout and make it at home with fresh and vibrant vegetables and tofu! Saucy noodles, basic ingredients, and so much flavor!
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- Vegetables
- 1 cup broccoli chopped
- 1 1/2 cup carrots thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cup Thai eggplant* diced
- Tofu
- 15 oz extra firm tofu diced
- neutral oil as needed
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- Curry
- 2 small shallots minced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small Thai red chili thinly sliced (skip if you're not crazy about spice)
- 1 tbsp ginger finely grated
- 2-3 tablespoons red curry paste the Thai Kitchen brand is easy to find in most stores, but I also really love the Mekhala brand paste
- 1 can full fat coconut milk about 15oz
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce more to taste
- 8 oz rice noodles more as desired
- Optional but nice to have
- 4-5 fresh kaffir lime leaves
- handful fresh Thai basil
- To garnish
- handful roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- green onion sliced thinly
- dried chili flakes
- cilantro
- fresh lime use thai lime if you can find it!
Instructions
- Begin by preparing your tofu if you'd like to crisp it up in the oven. Preheat oven to 400F, and meanwhile, quickly toss cubed tofu with just enough oil to coat, gluten free soy sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes on a lined baking tray, flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes. You can also use an airfryer and omit oil if desired.
- In a large saucepan, sauté shallots, garlic, chili and ginger with a touch of oil for 1-2 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Next add your veggies and red curry paste and sauté for another minute or so before adding coconut milk. Increase the heat to bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add coconut sugar and gluten free soy sauce and let cook for 10-15 minutes until veggies are tender.*
- While your curry is simmering, prep rice noodles by soaking in a bowl of hot water, or according to package directions.
- Once ready to serve, strain your noodles, toss into the curry* along with baked tofu and serve with a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice, a handful of roasted peanuts, green onion, chili flakes and cilantro as desired. Alternatively, you can serve the rice noodles in bowls and pour curry over top.
Video
Notes
Secrets to Success
- For best results, try to chop your veggies in a similar size so they'll cook evenly. The smaller you chop, the less time you'll need to cook!
- Be sure that the curry paste you're using is a vegan-friendly curry paste. Many traditional Thai curry pastes are made with fish sauce or shrimp paste, so check the ingredient list. Also, make sure you are using a curry paste, not a sauce. One more thing! If you are not able to consume gluten, also check to make sure that your curry paste does not contain gluten. Sometimes, wheat flour is used as a thickener, or soy sauce may be used to season.
- Making curry is all about adjusting to taste, so do taste frequently and add additional ingredients as you see fit.
- You can make these Thai curry noodles oil-free by omitting when sautéing initial ingredients, however, "frying" curry paste helps to bring out the aromatics in the spices, so I would recommend a small amount for the best flavour and results!
- If you can't find Thai eggplant at your local grocery store, see if you can find Chinese or Japanese eggplant. The skins tend to be a lot less tough compared to larger eggplants. Otherwise, consider peeling your eggplant to avoid tough skin.
- If you're in a pinch, chop your veggies a little more finely. This way, you can decrease the amount of time needed to cook through.
- Adjust the thickness of your curry as desired. You can add water or veggie broth to thin if you prefer more of a brothy curry or find it to be too thick.
- When you toss noodles into the curry, they will immediately start to soak up the curry, so only toss noodles into the curry if you're ready to eat. Otherwise, I recommend reserving noodles on the side and pouring curry over noodles when ready to eat.
Storage Tips
Store leftover curry noodles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat over in a large skillet on the stovetop for 2-3 minutes or until warmed through. Add water or oil to gently break up the noodles.