Coconut Curry Tofu Noodle

I know, the title is kind of a mouthful, but it was really yummy! I actually downloaded the original recipe from here. It was printed in the New York Times on Jan. 7, 2009. Delicious. BUT, I substituted tofu for chicken (I used silken tofu, but next time I'll use something just a bit more firm) and I used rice milk instead of half and half. Also, I only had Indian curry powder, so instead I used about two teaspoons of Thai red curry paste, which gave it a really yummy Thai flavor. I also used matchstick carrots along with the bean sprouts as a garnish to give it a little more substance.

If you don't like Thai food, don't make this. Also, if you haven't made much Asian food, there are probably a lot of ingredients you won't have on hand (like fish sauce or chili paste, for example), and I did have to buy a few extra things, but it was worth it! Jim and I really liked it, our kids wouldn't touch it. They had top ramen instead. Coconut Curry Chicken Noodle Soup (Curry Mee)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced lemon grass or pale green cilantro roots

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dark red chili paste, such as sambal, more for serving

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh or breast meat, thinly sliced and cut into bite-size pieces

3 tablespoons curry powder, preferably Malaysian, Thai or Vietnamese

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 cup half-and-half

4 cups chicken stock

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar, more to taste

About 12 kaffir lime leaves or curry leaves, fresh or frozen (optional)

8 ounces dried thin rice noodles (bun or vermicelli), or other Asian noodles such as udon or lai fun

Salt to taste

1 cup bean sprouts

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 scallions, cut into thin rings

2 shallots, thinly sliced and deep fried in vegetable oil until brown (optional)

Quartered limes for serving.

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion, ginger and lemon grass and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Do not brown; reduce heat if necessary. Add garlic and chili paste and stir until fragrant. Raise heat, add chicken and stir-fry one minute. Add curry powder and paprika and stir to coat. Then add coconut milk, half-and-half, chicken stock, turmeric, fish sauce, sugar and lime or curry leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook rice noodles in boiling water according to package directions (about 4 minutes). Rinse and drain.

3. Taste broth and adjust seasonings with salt and sugar. Divide noodles into large soup bowls. Bring broth to a boil, then ladle over noodles. Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, scallions and fried shallots, if using. Pass limes and sambal at the table.

Yield: 4 main-course servings.

Note: To make this rich soup more substantial, boiled potatoes are sometimes added to the simmering broth and cooked until very soft.