Love and Olive Oil

Green Curry Shrimp with Noodles

We’re huge fans of red curry, but decided it was time to mix things up a bit. The flavors of red and green curry are subtly different, the green being much more mild and almost sweet. This recipe pairs the green curry with shrimp and delicate rice noodles, and with a tang of cilantro is a simple recipe with a complex taste. This recipe is also much lighter than the red curry we make (though that probably has to do with the lower-fat coconut milk and the addition of chicken broth). Sometimes our red curry is too rich to enjoy it fully, but not this curry. If one could describe curry as “light,” this would be the recipe to do it.

Also, we’ve never been able to find fresh lemongrass at any “normal” grocery store. We did, however, manage to sag a bottle of dried (albeit expensive) lemongrass stalks. Just soak them in water for half and hour or so and it’s almost as good as the fresh stuff. Almost. I wonder how many people would have to petition Kroger before they’d start carrying fresh lemongrass? Hmmm…

Green Curry Shrimp with Noodles

Makes 4 servings.
Recipe from Epicurious.

Ingredients
1 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
2 fresh lemongrass stalks (optional), 1 or 2 outer leaves discarded and lower 6 inches of stalks thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro stems
1 to 2 tablespoons bottled Asian green curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (13- to 14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
3/4 lb dried flat 3/8-inch-wide rice noodles or 1/2 lb dried flat 1/8-inch-wide stir-fry rice noodles
1 1/2 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp (21 to 25 per lb)
2 to 3 teaspoons Asian fish sauce, or to taste

Directions
Purée shallots, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and cilantro stems in a blender with curry paste, sugar, salt, turmeric, and water until as smooth as possible, about 1 minute.

Heat oil in a 4-quart wide heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook curry paste mixture, stirring frequently, until it just begins to stick to bottom of pot, 8 to 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and broth and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3 2/3 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.

While sauce simmers, cook noodles in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain noodles well and divide among 4 large bowls.

Add shrimp to sauce and simmer, stirring, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fish sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Ladle shrimp and sauce over noodles.

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