Peanut-Curry Pasta
Look closely and you’ll see an out-of-place ingredient: green apple! My inspiration for this dish was an apple-and-cashew salad I’ve often enjoyed at my favorite Thai restaurant. If apples can pair well with cashews and chicken, I thought, why not with peanut butter and coconut? The sauce for this noodle dish is velvety, intriguing, and bursting with flavor…a perfect match for crisp, bright-tasting green apples.
Peanut-Curry Pasta
This recipe makes enough for two people; increase amounts as necessary.
1 carrot, julienned (sliced into thin strips)
1 red pepper, julienned
1 small cucumber, julienned or sliced into rounds
1 Granny Smith apple, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 1″ of fresh ginger root, minced (or use 1 tsp. dried ginger)
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. Thai red curry paste (depending on how much spice you like on your tongue)
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 T. natural peanut butter (crunchy or creamy–the choice is yours)
Dark sesame oil (optional) and sliced green onions for garnish (also optional)
Brown rice noodles (or traditional noodles)
While you’re assembling the sauce, prepare noodles according to package directions. (Note: rice noodles have a higher starch content than traditional wheat-based noodles, so if you’re using rice noodles, be sure to give them plenty of water to cook in–i.e., a large pot–to prevent stickage. Rinse well after cooking.)
Sauteé carrot and red pepper with butter or olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until carrots have softened. Add garlic and ginger and continue to cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes. (Watch the garlic carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn!) Add soy sauce and curry paste and blend well, then stir in coconut milk and peanut butter. You’ll have to carefully work in the peanut butter so that it evenly coats the veggies–if the sauce seems too thick, add water one teaspoon-full at a time until it has a smooth consistency.
Remove from heat and stir in the cucumber and apple. Just before serving, toss the pasta with the veggies and sauce; at this point, you may also wish to sprinkle on a few drops of sesame oil. Finely-chopped green onions would make a nice garnish.
Enjoy!
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Tags: apples, brown rice noodles, coconut milk, curry, gluten-free, peanuts, southeast asian
I threw this sauce together and then tossed it with some chicken and broccoli over sushi rice. It was pretty darn tasty that way too!