Thai Chicken Noodle Curry

As someone who loves food, I have long enjoyed eating all types of cuisine from Indian to Mexican to Greek. That said, I must say that Thai food is one of my all time favorite meals. Nothing quite beats a savory panang curry or noodles smothered in some delicious, mysterious sauce. However, I've never felt very confident in trying to cook Thai food at home. All those mystery ingredients just weren't something I had lying around the pantry, and I just figured it would be a lot of work to get the taste of Thailand in my own kitchen. However, a recent issue of Sunset magazine featured this recipe, and have to say it comes pretty close to the taste of restaurant style Thai noodles.

Just throw together some chicken, coconut milk, curry paste, and fresh herbs and you can be on your way to re-creating a Thai style meal at home! Once you purchase the basic ingredients, like curry paste and fish sauce, they'll last forever and lead to many more tasty meals. I have no doubt that if I had Thai friends nearby they could give me even more pointers, but for now this hits the spot. 

Ingredients

            10 ounce wide rice noodles

            2 teaspoons vegetable oil

            2 tablespoons minced garlic

            1/4 cup minced shallots

            12 ounces boned, skinned chicken breast, thinly sliced crosswise (I cheated and used pre-cooked chicken from Trader Joe's)

            1 1/2 tablespoons panang curry paste, such as Mae Ploy brand

            1 can (14 oz.) coconut milk, divided

            1 tablespoon sugar

            1 tablespoon lime juice

            1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce

            1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce

            1/2 cup sliced green onions

            1/2 cup cilantro leaves and small sprigs

            1/2 cup Thai basil leaves

            1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

            1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

            2. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken, curry paste, and half the coconut milk. Stir well to dissolve paste and boil until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining coconut milk, the sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and fish sauce, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is slightly thicker, 2 to 3 minutes more.

3. Add noodles, toss to coat, and cook a few minutes until hot, stirring often. Pour mixture into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, and basil. Serve with lime wedges.

 I invested in some curry paste, fish sauce, and Thai noodles in order to make this dish