Coconut Curry Noodles w/ veggies

Being a food blogger, it isn't often that I make the same dish twice within a short period of time. The only exception being maybe pancakes, which if you've been reading the blog a while, you'll remember I'm a little obsessed with pancakes and I have quite an arsenal of recipes. But, back to these noodles, I made them twice in 2 weeks! Now that's saying something.

I've tried many different Thai-style noodle dishes, which never amounted to more than mediocre in my book. However, when I saw this recipe, for some reason I just had this feeling it was going to work. The flavors in the coconut curry sauce are really perfect for me. I had never used or purchased curry paste before (small bottle found in the Asian section of the supermarket; about $3-4), but I really liked the flavor it lent and didn't think it was too over powering.

This dish is kind of like a stir-fry in that you can really change the veggies up to your liking. I did love the flavors of broccoli, peppers, mushrooms and carrots together and thought they gave great eye appeal as well. You can also substitute the fettuccine noodles for rice noodles, (probably more authentic) but in my experience with rice noodles, they are a bit rubbery and I don't care for them much.

Coconut Curry Noodles with Veggies
1 lb. fettuccine noodles (or rice noodles, if you prefer)
2 small heads broccoli, chopped into florets
1-2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, thinly sliced
8 oz. mushrooms (no need to rinse with water, just brush off the dirt with a paper towel), sliced
1/2 c. green onions
1 Tbsp. fresh, minced ginger
1 Tbsp. fresh, minced garlic
1 Tbsp. curry paste (red or green works; I used red)
Juice of 1 lime
1 can coconut milk (I always use full-fat)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
sesame seeds, for garnish
lime wedges, for garnish

With the stove on high, bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. In the mean time, prep veggies.

Once water comes to a boil, drop pasta and cook according to package directions.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, curry paste, and lime juice. Set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a generous drizzle of olive or coconut oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add broccoli, peppers, carrots and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, over medium-high heat until crisp-tender; about 4-5 minutes. Add the green onion, garlic and ginger and cook another minute or two. Add coconut milk mixture and allow to heat up then remove from heat.

Once pasta is done cooking, drain and pour into a large serving dish. Pour the veggies and sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Let it sit for about 5 minutes to soak up some of the sauce, toss once more then serve warm.

Garnish with sesame seeds and freshly squeezed lime, if desired.

SOURCE: Adapted from Our Best Bites

*This makes about 6-8 generous portions. I halved the recipe both times I made it and it was perfect for our family. In fact, the first time I made it, there wasn't a LICK left and the second, there was only one helping left that my husband took to work the same week. If you're worried about only using half a can of coconut milk and not knowing what to do with the rest, check out my label on the side for coconut and you'll find many ways to use it up. Otherwise, you can throw some in your fruit smoothie for breakfast. Coconut is very healthy for you, fat and all! Coconut milk will keep in fridge, in an airtight container, about a week.

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