Red Curry Noodles with Shrimp

I adore Thai food and I find when dining out, I'm torn to decide between the noodle dishes that I love (pad thai, pad see ew, etc) and the red and green curries which I also love.  (This problem is solved when John and I are together and we can share both.)  I decided to marry the two delicious categories together into this quick and easy Thai inspired curry noodle dish.  You could easily mix this up using chicken, beef or any combination of veggies you like.  Its amazing to me how many of the formerly "exotic" ingredients can  be found in almost any neighborhood grocery store now a days- just look for the "ethnic" section and all of these basic Thai fixins will be lined up together.

Ingredients:

1 lb of shrimp- peeled and deveined
1/2 of a large yellow onion, sliced
1/2 of a bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 cup of frozen or fresh green beans (thawed)
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of grated ginger (I use the jarred one you can find in the produce section)
1 tablespoon of Thai Red Curry Paste (a heaping one if you like heat)
1 tablespoon of Thai Fish Sauce
1 can (14 ounces) of Lite or Regular Coconut Milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1 package of Thai Rice Noodles
1/4 cup freshly sliced basil

First I cleaned the shrimp and sauteed them over medium heat in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil until just cooked through- about 2 minutes per side.  I seasoned them well with salt and pepper and set aside.

Second, I put a pot of salted water for my noodles on the stove to boil.  You want the water to be ready to go but its best if you wait and cook the noodles at the very last second.  The rice noodles need only 2-3 minutes of cook time and overcooking them is disastrous.  (Mush city!)

Next I cooked the onion over medium heat in another drizzle of oil for 4-5 minutes until soft- seasoning with a pinch of salt.  (I prepped the bell pepper and green beans in the meantime.)  I then added the garlic, ginger and curry paste and cooked one minute longer- stirring to coat the onions. 

Next I added the coconut milk and stock to the pan (bumping the heat up to medium high), followed by the brown sugar and the fish sauce- whisking to combine.  I let the mixture come to a gentle boil for 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly before adding the veggies and shrimp.  Everything cooks together for another  two minutes to take on the flavors of the sauce- you want the veggies to be slightly crisp and to avoid overcooking the shrimp.

 **This is a good time to put the noodles in the boiling water to cook- watching carefully to cook only 2-3 minutes.  Take them out as soon as they are tender.

Strain the noodles, toss them back in the pot you cooked them in and pour the shrimp curry mixture and the fresh basil over top- tossing gently to coat.   Serve immediately with some extra fresh basil and an icy cold beer or an off dry white wine (a Gewürztraminer or Voignier would be delicious).  You'll get your spicy coconutty curry AND your noodle fix all in one.  This would serve 4 people or makes great left overs the following day.