Slurpy Fish and Curry Noodles



Here on SARABANDE, we don’t really know how to cook Thai food.  We enjoy it in restaurants, but our attempts at home have been very casual.  Here’s our most successful attempt that tastes thai-like to us, and it’s a very satisfying meal. 

Keep tasting the sauce as you go and adjust the flavors accordingly.  It’s amazing how much coconut milk will mellow out the spice of the red curry paste, and we always find ourselves adding more and more every time we make this.....

Serves 2 hungry people

2 tbs. of coconut oil, possibly a little more
1 medium onion, chopped
two large or three small cloves of garlic, minced
one 1” knob of ginger, minced
3 tsps or more red curry paste
two pinches of red pepper
one 14 oz. can of coconut milk, regular or lite
14 oz. water or vegetable stock
2 tsp of shoyu or soy sauce, to taste
2 tsp of sucanat or brown sugar, to taste
the juice of one lime, plus another lime cut into wedges
one large handful of chopped cilantro
1/2 pound of pad-thai style rice noodles (we use Tinkyada “Pasta Joy” brown rice noodles, and they’re really good)
1/2 pound of mild-flavored white fish (scrod works well), cut into chunks
one medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (optional)
1 handful of chopped peanuts (optional)


In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the coconut oil and when it’s completely liquid and hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger.  Saute until the onion turns translucent, about 2 minutes.  Add a little more coconut oil if necessary.  Using a spoon, mash the red curry paste into the bottom of the saucepan to break it up.  Stir to distribute the curry paste evenly throughout the pan.  Add the red pepper. 

Pour in the coconut milk, and follow with the water or stock.  Add the shoyu and sucanat, and let everything simmer on low heat.

In another pot, boil the noodles as directed on the package.

As the noodles are nearing done-ness, add the chunks of fish and the zucchini to the curry sauce and turn up the heat for a few minutes to cook, stirring gently.  Add the lime juice when the fish is nearly done.

Drain the noodles and run them under cold water.  Spoon noodles into bowls and smother with large ladlefuls of the curry mixture.  Sprinkle with cilantro and peanuts, garnish with lime wedges, and serve!
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