Red Thai Curry with Rice Vermicelli Noodles, Tofu & Spinach

I used to order Thai curry when eating out and dream of being able to recreate the taste at home!  Well I think I have definitely nailed it with this incredible Red Thai Curry!  It hits all the right flavour notes and transports me to somewhere special with the aromas and complexity of flavours! I just love it and would go so far as to say Thai curries – red or green are probably my number 1 favourite thing to eat.  Make this red thai curry paste and you could be eating this too…..

I would suggest making the Red Thai Curry Paste before you begin this recipe. It’s not a hard or time consurming recipe to make but you do need to ensure you have all the ingredients because each one lends it’s own unique taste offering to the dish.  So pop over to my Red Thai Curry Paste recipe – make it, then come back here to create the final dish 😉

Begin by assmebling all of the ingredients.  You will need;

• 1 block firm tofu
• 2-4 heaped spoonfuls of Red Thai Curry Paste
• 1 large sweet red pepper
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 2 portions of wholewheat rice vermicelli noodles
• 2 handfuls spinach

 

Prepare all of the ingredients by pressing the tofu and cutting into cubes, washing and chopping the sweet red pepper, peeling and cubing the sweet potatoes, washing the spinach leaves.

Place the pressed, cubed tofu into a frying pan with a drop of oil and fry on all sides until golden, then, turn off the heat and set aside;

Next, add a dash of oil in a large pan (large enough to fit all of the ingredients in), and add the red Thai Curry Paste.  I use a large spoonful for each person being served but feel free to add more for increased flavour;

Fry the paste for a few minutes until it becomes fragrant then add the red pepper and fry for a further few minutes;

Now add the chopped sweet potatoes to the pan;

Crumble in the vegetable stock cube and add enough water so that it comes almost to the top of the ingredients – do not cover with water as it’s best to add more than have to take liquid out as you will be loosing some of flavour.  Do not worry if it looks too watery – the rice vermiecelli noodles will soak up lots of the water so you do need a good amount;

Stir everything together;

Add a lid and bring to the boil.  Turn down to a simmer and leave to cook for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked through and tender;

After around 15 minutes, add the coconut milk;

And gently stir in, being careful not to break the sweet potatoes down too much;

Break the rice vermicelli noodles down by twisting in your hands to create smaller noodle pieces which will be easier to stir through in the pan;

With the heat on low, stir the noodles through gently, again trying not to break down the sweet potatoes;

Replace the lid and leave to cook for just 2 minutes.  Rice noodles cook very quickly and they soak up a lot of liquid so check the liquid levels after 2 minutes and add a splash of more water if needed.

Next, add the cooked tofu to the pan and stir through;

Finally, add the washed spinach, replace the lid and leave to wilt for 2 minutes before removing the lid and stirring through;

Season to taste with sea salt and ground black pepper and serve with a few fresh coriander leaves and a sprinkling of chilli flakes if desired;