green curry pasta
I found this excerpt from @lovesgalettes exceptionally poignant this week:
'Leaning into community and deeper friendships of love and open dialogue is feeling more important than ever. Making space for grief but channeling feelings of helplessness and despair into ones of hope and action, no matter how small those actions may seem.
Celebrating joy inspite of the enormity of evil and war. Centering humanity, empathy, compassion. Life and love affirming antidotes.’
Today, I’m offering a quick comfort meal as a way to care for ourselves and each other. Drawing inspiration from Lamoon Thai Café in Toronto, I bring you a rich and warming green curry pasta. Here's the basic formula:
A coconut-infused sauce that hits all the right notes.
Any quick-cooking veggies from your fridge – I opted for hearty king oyster mushrooms, crisp bell peppers, red onions, and broc that soaked up all that saucy goodness.
Leftover proteins – In my case, some grilled chicken from the night before. For my American friends, leftover turkey from this weekend would work great.
Fresh herbs to elevate the flavours – For this dish, I recommend (Thai) basil or cilantro. In our kitchen, cilantro is a staple. To keep it fresh for up to three weeks in the fridge, store it in a glass of water with a produce bag wrapped over the top.
For those on a gluten-free diet, I recommend using Rummo, Garofalo, or Jovial pasta, as they hold their shape better.
Green Curry Pasta
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g dried (gluten-free) spaghetti or linguine
1 tbsp neutral high-heat cooking oil
2 king oyster or trumpet mushrooms, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 (400 mL/14 oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
4 makrut lime leaves, or 2 tsp lime zest mixed in at the end
1 medium yellow or red onion, sliced
1/2 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
leftover grilled chicken, sliced
1 bell pepper, cut into strips and halved
A few sprigs cilantro, and/or Thai basil, chopped (optional)
½ lime, cut into wedges
(gluten-free) fried shallots or garlic (optional)
Instructions
Prep your ingredients (mise en place is key!).
Bring a medium to large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the pasta into the pot and cook according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan or wok, heat oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add king oyster mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely charred. Turn the heat down to medium. Add a few spoonfuls of the coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk can, along with the curry paste. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rest of the coconut milk and stir.
Add fish sauce, sugar, makrut lime leaves, and onions. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a medium-low simmer and cook for 5 minutes until the onions are just tender. Add the broccoli and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Strain the pasta into a colander and drizzle with a bit of EVOO to prevent it from sticking as it slightly cools.
Toss the leftover chicken and bell pepper into the curry and simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the chicken is just heated through, and the bell peppers have slightly softened. Portion the pasta onto plates or pasta bowls. Ladle the green curry over the top. Garnish with herbs, lime wedges, and fried shallots or garlic, and dig in!
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All the peace and love,
Jannell