With a few simple ingredients you can make this speedy coconut curry ramen. It's made with curry-infused coconut cream.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 4 scallions 2 small leeks (white and green parts), or 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 quart (1 L) vegetable dashi (see below) or vegetable broth
- One 13.5 ounce (400 ml) can coconut cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry
- 9 ounces (255 g) wheat noodles (such as ramen)
For garnish
- Fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 6 to 9 small square slices soft tofu optional
- 1 scallion white and green parts, finely chopped (optional)
For the homemade vegetable dashi
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms stems removed
- 1 piece (about 0.3 oz/10 g) kombu
- 800 ml water
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, scallions, and carrot, and cook until browned, 5 minutes. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, ginger, curry powder, turmeric, paprika, salt, pepper, and curry paste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, then pour the lime juice into the frying pan and scrape up the brown bits to incorporate them into the juice.
- Stir in the vegetable dashi and coconut cream. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until the soup thickens.
- Add the noodles to the soup and cook for 5 minutes, until tender, then divide equally between three bowls. To serve, sprinkle with the cilantro, and top with 2 or 3 slices tofu and the chopped scallion, if using.
For the vegetable dashi
- Combine 3 ⅓ cups (800 ml) water with the mushrooms and kombu in a glass bowl. (Make sure the mushrooms and kombu are fully submerged.) Cover and allow to sit in the refrigerator to infuse for a minimum of 5 hours.
- When the dashi turns brown in color, strain it into a 1-quart (1 L) glass preserving jar and cover. (Reserve the mushrooms and kombu for another use, if desired.)
Tip: The dashi will keep, covered, for 1 week in the refrigerator.