Curry Laksa

I'm finished my exam!! I'm done schooling forever. Well I might change my mind one day but I have no plans to continue. It's been 9 years of post secondary education which is enough for me. Now I have to wait until December to see if I passed and become certified. Ahhh waiting isn't fun. But I'm really happy my exam is over, now I can get back to fun things like cooking healthy meals, blogging and my new found love yoga. :)

This is another recipe from Appetite for Reduction. I've never eaten or made laksa before so I can't vouch for it's authenticity but we enjoyed it. It was a bit sour (is it supposed to be?) and while the flavour was nice, I wish it was stronger. Not my favourite recipe from Appetite for Reduction, but it was still good. I think marinating the tofu beforehand and then cooking it separately would improve the dish because the sauce/soup isn't flavourful enough to infuse the tofu during cooking. Maybe marinating it in curry paste, lime juice, and soy sauce then pan frying it?

By the way, have you guys made this pasta with ruby chard and cranberries yet? I've been making some variation of it a lot recently, using up the plethora of greens from our CSA. Delicious!! I can't wait to eat it for lunch today.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Vegetarian Pho

Curry Laksa
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 4

3-4 tbsp red curry paste
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Shanghai bok choy
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 block extra firm tofu (about 14 oz), cubed
8 oz pad Thai rice noodles
3/4 cup light coconut milk
3 tbsp lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes)
3 tbsp agave
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Put a big pot of water on to boil for the noodles. In the meantime, prep all your veggies.

Preheat another 4 quart pot over medium high heat. Place 3 tablespoons of curry paste in the pot and mix in the onion and peppers. Saute for about 2 minutes. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if it seems to be sticking excessively. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the bok choy stems, broth, soy sauce, and salt, and bring to a slow rolling boil (no need to cover). Add the tofu and cook for 10 more minutes..

At this point, your water for the noodles is probably boiling, so cook the noodles. They should be done in 5 minutes; drain and set aside.

Add the coconut milk, lime juice, agave and bok choy leaves to the curry and mix, being gentle so as not to break the tofu. Taste for salt and spice. You may want to add more curry paste. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro.

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots

I am currently trying to make sure my brain is crammed full of all the information I need to know for my oral certification exam in a couple of weeks. This is no easy feat! I am making up random stories to try and help me remember stuff like how cows don't want to be the only one responsible for E. coli O157:H7 so they invited their ruminant friends (deers, sheeps, goats) to be reservoirs too, along with humans. Yea. Okay I'll stop talking about foodborne illnesses now and move onto food? Can you tell the studying is making my brain wonky. One thing I like to do while studying is have cat photo shoots.

So here is a delicious bowl of rice noodles in a lime peanut sauce with tons of kale, carrots and seitan. I love Asian noodle dishes and love peanut sauces, so you can understand why I really loved this dish. The original recipe called for 2 cups of kale - 2 cups of kale?? How about 5. I like lots of vegetables with my noodles. You know what else I like - nuts in my noodle (or rice) dishes. This one has peanuts but you could use cashews. Oh and can I just say that I love that the recipe instructs you to cut the noodles into shorter lengths. I often do this because everything can mix together more easily and you don't end up with noodles on your face, but this is the first recipe I've seen that actually suggests doing it.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Vegetarian Pho
Pad Thai

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings

250 g wide, flat rice noodles
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp oil
5 cups kale, shredded
1 1/2 cups seitan, cut into strips
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup of peanuts

Begin by boiling water for your rice noodles. While waiting, make the peanut sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, sugar, chili flakes, and ginger powder until combined. Set aside.

Cook the noodles until just softened, then drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles down to shorter lengths (run your scissors through the noodles until "chopped" or actually chop the noodles with a knife. Uniformly sized noodles make mixing everything together much easier). Set noodles aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the kale and stir until cooked through and browning in some parts. Add the seitan and carrots, and then turn down the heat a bit.

Add the noodles to the pan. Add the sauce. Stir until everything is well combined. Turn off the heat. Add the nuts and serve immediately.