August 2011

RECIPE! Coconut Curried Vegetables with Shrimp

Coconut Curried Vegetables with Shrimp

Serves 6-8

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup broccoli (cut into florets)
• 1 cup carrots (julienne cut)
• ½ cup scallions (cut on the bias)
• ½ cup red peppers (julienne cut)
• 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
• 1 T fresh ginger (peeled & chopped)
• 1 T Thai curry paste (red or green)
• 1 T canola oil
• 1 can “Lite” coconut milk (from your favorite Asian market)
• 1 T sweet soy sauce (from your favorite Asian market)
• ½ cup sweet Chile sauce (from your favorite Asian market)
• 1 t black sesame seeds (from your favorite Asian market)
• 24 shrimp (16-20 peeled & de-veined)
• 1 lb rice noodles (from your favorite Asian market)

 Preparation:

1. Soak noodles in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Drain and cool in ice water. Drain, let rest & toss with oil.
2. Blanch broccoli & carrots in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, cool down in ice water, drain and set aside.
3. Place large sauté pan over high heat. Add canola oil and sautéed mushrooms until lightly golden.
4. Add shrimp, coconut milk and Thai curry paste.
5. Add carrots, broccoli, peppers, scallions, ginger, sweet Chile sauce, sweet soy, and noodles to pan in that order.
6. Toss once or twice to coat all ingredients well with sauce.
7. Place on platter and sprinkle with black sesame seeds

TESSAʼS TIPS: Bangkok Curry Makes it Easy to Eat Healthy

Delighting Your Taste Buds with the Flavors of Bangkok

From offering authentic flavors inspired from around the world, to using only the very freshest ingredients to offering limitless ways to customize your meal, Bangkok Curry epitomizes Noodles & Company.  Learn more and stretch your culinary muscle by trying our recipe for the home chef below.

 BUILDING THE FOUNDATION

The original recipe for Bangkok Curry was developed after an extensive trip to Asia where our founding chef tasted everything in sight. He wanted to create a recipe that provided the perfect balance of flavors and textures that he experienced while in Thailand.  The result is what we all have come to know and love as Bangkok Curry – a light and soulful blend of six fresh, crunchy vegetables tossed with a creamy, yet light curry sauce served over a bed of rice noodles. 

 DIRECTLY FROM THE SOURCE

You can’t fake authenticity, and nothing is more authentic than the ingredients in our Bangkok Curry.  Our sauce is a unique blend of coconut milk, tamarind, hot chile paste, sweet chile, and yellow curry paste (and a few other things that shall remain secret!), all sourced directly from Thailand. We also buy our rice noodles from a company in Thailand where the Thai locals buy their noodles. They call the noodles “long life noodles” because they signify a long life to the person eating them. Because of this, the noodles are never cut or shortened in the belief that it would be bad luck and would shorten that person’s life. So we don’t cut ours either.

 MAKE IT YOUR WAY

Customization is an integral part of the culture of Asian noodle dishes and of Noodles & Company.  The delicate, sweet and creamy Bangkok Curry sauce is the perfect canvas to mix, match and add ingredients. Swap spinach for broccoli or add organic tofu or shrimp. For those you who really want to make it your own, change things up by choosing different noodles.  One of our favorite “remixes” of Bangkok Curry is to go with whole grain linguine instead of rice noodles.  A healthy dash of Sriracha is an easy way to add a spicy, rich kick.  With Bangkok Curry, you can customize it in any way you like while never sacrificing the essence of the dish.

 THINK GLOBAL, EAT LOCAL

At Noodles, we know that local means fresher – and fresher tastes better.  To ensure that our food is uber-tasty, we source as many of our ingredients from local farmers as possible. Going local also fits in with our values that a great meal starts with great ingredients. 

 Bangkok Curry is made with six veggies that we source from local farms when they are in season (which is now!), including: onions, cabbage, red peppers, bean sprouts, cilantro, and mushrooms.

Taste the World, No Passport Required

While we were chatting about favorite travel memories, it wasn’t surprising to hear that for many of us here at Noodles, food is center stage. A few of the fondest memories include devouring a traditional Italian meal with new friends from Sweden while hiking the coastline of Cinque Terra, Italy; a celebratory meal with Kiwis after skydiving in Queensland, New Zealand; and anything and everything on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair. 

 We all agreed that while we can’t always be jetting across the globe, (thanks to families, pets, and wonderful jobs – all worth it, of course!) we still love to experience new cultures and new flavors.  It occurred to us that you might like to try new things too.  So, for the next several months, join us on a little culinary journey across Asia, the Mediterranean and America.  With our collective taste buds as our guide, we’ll highlight a few of our very favorite Noodles dishes.  We’ll dive into the recipe, talk about the origin of specific ingredients and tell you why we love the dish. We’ll even share some home chef recipes you can experiment with in your kitchen.  

 By the end of this virtual global expedition, we hope that you have a fonder appreciation of your favorite Noodles dish, and that you’re intrigued to give our favorites as try.  No passport required.

EXTENDING SUMMER – BECAUSE WE CAN!

For foodies, summer is Nirvana – Veggies are so sweet that they barely require cooking and fruit is so ripe and juicy that it drips down your chin.  To keep summer alive, for just a little longer, we’re extending our Summertime Salads to mid-September!  If you haven’t tried them, prepare to have a new dish to love.

You Came, You Saw, You Ate Some Salad!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Ten Degrees of Salads program.  We had a blast watching the Tees move from one Noodler to another.  We enjoyed seeing familiar faces and making some new friends.  Check out a handful of Tees that saw it all the way to the end…no quitters here! 

Salads cometh. Salads goeth away. Soon. Ten Degree Tees Expire Tomorrow!

To everyone out there in Noodleland holding on to a Tee Degree Ten… Time is running out – redeem your salad and pass it along by August 18th. And don’t forget to register your Tee at www.noodles.com/tendegrees. 

We’ve had a blast seeing all the great photos you’ve shared.  Here are a few of our favorites!