Warm, fragrant, and totally slurp-able. If slurp-able is a thing, then this bowl of curry noodle soup is it. And all wrapped up in a dinner package that takes less than 30 minutes.
Have you been tempted to join us for Thai Food Month, friends?! We hope so! If you’re thinking that Thai food has to be complicated, allow me to present Exhibit A. This bowl of weeknight-friendly curry noodle soup contains all the Thai food rockstars:
Creamy coconut milk
Fragrant curry paste
Tender chicken
Soft and slightly chewy noodles (slurp-able noodles to be exact)
A bit of spice (just a bit, but feel free to add more if you like heat!)
This curry noodle soup is really just an outline. It’s a foundation for a Thai-inspired meal that you can customize any way you like. Change up the protein – use tofu if you’d like it vegetarian. Toss in some veggies you need to use up – just about any will do! Change up the noodles to try something new.
I’m always curious to try new noodles from the Asian grocery store. These were in the refrigerated section and had this great springy texture – perfect for the soup.
How to Make Thai Curry Noodle Soup
There are basically just three simple steps to making curry noodle soup.
- Cook noodles
- Make the soup base (packed with flavorful aromatics from curry paste, fresh ginger, and spices)
- Add stock and coconut milk and chicken to soup base
Then get your spoon and chopsticks ready! Thai food is rarely served with chopsticks, but noodle soups are a major exception. Chopsticks are perfect here. Pile some noodles on a spoon, dip it into the soup. Enjoy the perfect bite!
- 6 oz Rice Stick Noodles (Vietnamese noodles or labeled "Pad Thai" rice noodles)
- 1 Tbsp Red Curry Paste (see note)
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger, grated
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ tsp Ground Turmeric (opt)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Oil (see note)
- 1 cup Coconut Milk (light or regular)
- 1½ cup Chicken Stock
- 1 lb Chicken breast, boneless and skinless, chopped
- 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce (sub soy sauce or Tamari for a gluten-free option)
- 2 tsp Lime juice
- Sliced chili peppers, green onions, or cilantro, for serving (opt)
- Cook noodles according to package directions. (Note: Many rice noodles just need to be soaked in boiling water. The length of time will vary depending on how thick they are.)
- Make soup base: Combine curry paste, garlic, ginger, ground coriander, ground turmeric, and salt.
- Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
- Add oil and then soup base. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Stir in stock and chicken and reduce heat to low-medium so the soup is barely simmering. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and season with a pinch of salt, if needed. (The amount of salt you need will vary, but you may need some extra to bring out all of the flavors in the soup. Some curry pastes already include salt in their ingredients, so those may already be sufficiently salty.)
- Divide cooked noodles between serving bowls. Ladle soup and chicken over noodles.
- Serve with chilis, sliced green onions, or cilantro on top if you'd like.
Oil - Any type of cooking oil (vegetable, peanut, canola, or sunflower for example) will work. However, coconut oil gives this dish even more authentic flavor. If you are using regular coconut milk, open the can carefully and you may notice that it has separated into a thick layer of coconut cream / oil on top and a thinner layer of coconut milk on the bottom. In this case, use a tablespoon of that thick layer on top as the "oil" to start your curry. You'll be rewarded with even more rich coconut flavor!
In honor of #thaifoodmonth, we took ourselves out last (FREEEZING) Saturday and had a big family lunch at a local Thai restaurant. I ate my weight in Thai food. Molly and Clara ate their weight in sticky rice.
This is my favorite and I would have to agree that this is definitely slurpable which I really, really love. Thank you for sharing this. Would love to make this Thai Curry Noodle Soup tonight.
You and me both Sheila! Mmm – love that slurpable quality.
Yum! Going to make this for dinner tomorrow night. Finally a use for the leaves off my little kaffir lime trees. They barely made it through the winter and I have a lot of leaves that are looking a bit worse for wear.
Thanks Jess! Just found your website and you’ve given me the cooking bug again. 🙂
You have kaffir lime trees, Martha? I’m quite jealous. 😉 LOVE that flavor! I’m so glad I could contribute to an increase in the cooking bug, especially when you’ve got so much potential with those lime leaves!