Red Coconut Curry Noodles

There are a couple of ingredients that, if I notice in a recipe, I will always try.  Like sesame oil or coconut milk.  This dish is so luscious.  And versatile.  I'm listing the recipe as I found it, but you can vary it in so many ways.  Last night I served it with steamed broccoli, but I think next time I'll chop up some broccoli to add a bit more color to it.  The original recipe calls for chicken, but I substituted shrimp (uncooked, peeled, and deveined which I added in the last step).  And personally, I would lessen the amount of noodles (for 2, I would use about 4-5 oz....the sauce is so delicious, I wanted more of it).

RED COCONUT CURRY NOODLES (2-3 servings)

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (6-8 oz) sliced into think strips
1/2 Tbsp oil
1 can light or regular coconut milk
1/2 Tbsp red curry paste (1 tsp for us)
1/2 Tbsp grated ginger
1/2-1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 cup + 2 Tbsp chicken broth
4-7 oz packaged rice noodles (1/4" wide), depending on how much sauce you like with your noodles
1/2 sweet onion, sliced into thin moons
1 red pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup broccoli slaw or thinly sliced matchstick carrots
Salt to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, scoop the cream off the top of the can of coconut milk and put it in the pot (if using light coconut milk, there won't be cream to use, so use the 1 Tbsp oil called for in the recipe).  The cream will be used as the "fat" instead of oil or butter.  Along with the cream, add the curry paste and ginger.  Let this simmer, stirring constantly, for about one minute.

Add the chicken and onions.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5-6 minutes.  Add the coconut milk, sweet chili sauce, cilantro, and chicken broth.  Bring to a simmer.

Add the red pepper, broccoli slaw (or carrots) and rice noodles and salt.  Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking to the bottom, for about 5-8 minutes.  The noodles will thicken and plump up as they absorb the liquid.  The mixture will be slightly soupy when the noodles are finished cooking.

Take the pot off of the heat and let the noodles sit for about 5 minutes.  The mixture will continue to thicken.  Garnish with more cilantro, if desired.