Thai Red Curry Ramen 2 Ways
This Thai red curry ramen 2 ways is a favorite, with its warm red color and nutty flavors that complement vegetables and meats alike. We like it with tender chicken or mushrooms, red bell peppers and spinach.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 2 red bell peppers chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger grated
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup Thai Kitchen red curry paste if you like your curry spicy, add another tablespoonful - the extra can also be added at the end
- 4 cups chicken bone broth or vegetable broth
- 1 can 14 ounce coconut milk (see note)
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce tamari or more coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or slightly more to taste
- ⅓ cup creamy almond butter
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach a knife run through it first (see note)
- juice of 1 lime
- ⅓ cup fresh basil or cilantro roughly chopped, plus more for serving
- lime wedges chopped almonds, sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil, for serving
Prepare separately and add at end:
- ¾ pound boneless skinless chicken breasts. See notes.
- 4 squares millet and brown rice ramen noodles cook separately according to the package directions, rinse and store.
Instructions
- See notes for cooking chicken and ramen noodles separately.
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoonful of the olive oil and stir to coat the pan.
- Add the mushrooms and stir quickly so that each one gets a little oil. Continue to cook, stirring, until the mushrooms lose a little of their volume and are slightly shiny, about 3 minutes. Remove to a small bowl for use as a garnish later.
- Add the remaining tablespoonful of oil and the red bell peppers to the pan and saute until they have obtained a thin coating of oil and are just starting to tenderize, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute more.
- Add the red curry paste and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Pour in the broth, coconut milk, coconut aminos (or tamari), coconut sugar, almond butter and spinach.
- Bring to a low boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes or until the peppers are cooked through and tender.
- Stir in the cooked noodles, cilantro and lime juice.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with protein of choice for each eater.
- Garnish with chopped almonds, sesame seeds and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
I prefer the spinach to be very coarsely chopped. I pile the clean greens on a cutting board and pull the knife through them making about ½ inch wide cuts.
Coconut milks vary greatly in their effect on a curry broth. The brand that thickens the most in my experience is Chaokoh, possibly because it contains sodium meta-bisulfite. The one that thickens the least is Trader Joe’s. In between are Native Forest, Thai Kitchen, Natural Grocers, Thrive Market and Sprouts.
For cooking chicken breasts, if you don’t have a preferred method, try mine! I let skinless chicken breasts slow-cook in the instant pot for 7 hours in about ½ cup of water on slow-cook setting. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove to a plate and shred with two forks. This is enough to cook them without them getting tough and makes great unseasoned pulled chicken. Add to individual bowls or to a portion of the curry or any other dish.
For the ramen, cook separately and refrigerate if you won't be serving right away. Stir the noodles into the pot or the bowls of hot soup just before serving. If you add them to the soup too long before serving, they will get soggy.