Red Curry Noodles

I always find myself craving a stir fry at least once a week! When Johannes suggested adding coconut milk to our stir fries, I never looked back. It adds a delicious creaminess that I can't resist!

This recipe is versatile and can be made using any vegetables you have at home. It would also work great with white cabbage or broccoli - as an example. It's also good to have rice noodles that you love, because it makes a huge difference to the dish as a whole. As for the tofu, make sure you use firm or extra firm tofu, as it won't crumble once you start to fry it. The key to getting crispy tofu is to squeeze as much of the water out of the tofu block as you can before frying it.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

200g folded rice noodles

Block of firm tofu (cut into 1cm cubes)

1 carrot (grated)

5 chestnut mushrooms

1 red bell pepper

3 pak choi

1 small onion

3 garlic cloves

1 red chili

Thumb sized piece ginger

1 large tbsp vegan red curry paste

1 large tbsp peanut butter

1/2 tin coconut milk (half of a 400g tin) - you can add more if you prefer a creamier consistency

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

Juice 1/2 lime

Salt and pepper

Handful of cashews

1 spring onion

Instructions:

1. Chop all the onion, garlic, ginger, chili and veggies - set aside.

2. Add oil to a pan on high heat and add in a handful of cashews. Stir often for a few minutes to avoid the nuts burning. Once lightly golden, leave aside.

3. Add 1 tbsp oil to a non-stick pan on high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the tofu until lightly crispy on all sides. Leave it to cook on one side for 2 minutes before flipping or stirring. Stir occasionally afterwards, but try not to over-stir as this could break up the tofu. Once the tofu is crispy on all sides, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

4. To the same pan or wok, add in 1 tbsp oil and add in the onion, garlic, ginger, chili. Let it cook for a few minutes until everything is lightly golden.

5. As that cooks, cook the rice noodles as instructed on the package. Leave aside.

6. Add in the large tbsp of red curry paste, as well as the large tbsp of peanut butter. You may need to add in a bit more oil or water to avoid it sticking to the pan. Let the flavors infuse together for a few minutes - stirring.

7. Add in the chopped veggies and spices (paprika, chili powder, salt & pepper), making sure all vegetables have an even coat of the mixture. Let them cook for around 3 minutes. If you are using any vegetables that take longer to cook, add those in a few minutes before the rest of the veggies. You don't want to over cook any vegetables because then they could turn out soggy. The best is having a bit of crunch in the vegetables once cooked. Since all of my vegetables didn't need much time to cook, I put them in together.

8. Finally, add in the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, maple syrup, hot sauce, 1/2 tin coconut milk and juice 1/2 lime. Simmer for around 2 - 3 minutes.

9. Add the cooked rice noodles to the pan and stir everything together. Garnish with the cashews, tofu, spring onion, and coriander. Enjoy!