feel food club

Thai

Saucy Green Curry Noodles with Oven-Baked Crispy Sesame Tofu

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Is it traditional? Definitely no! Is it delicious! Holy, yes! Soft Rice Noodles in a spicy and addicting green curry sauce with all the veggies. As if that wasn’t good enough already, we have some crispy sesame tofu to top everything off. This combination is pretty amazing!

What is special about this dish?

Everything. usually curry is not served with Noodles and it is served with more sauce. Here we do not have that much sauce because we want it to be closer to a str fry kind of dish than to a soup. Also crispy sesame tofu? Never had this at a Thai restaurant before (although I wish I had). So the combination of those two makes this dish really unique, plus we are only using green veggies, which means vitamins pure. Super good.

Actually I do not know exactly how I came up with this dish. I think it is because I am obsessed with curry, but also really love some stir fried noodles. So I probably though that the combination must be heaven. And it definitely turned out to be. If you have been following me round for a while you would know that this „simple“ combo was to simple for me. So I knew I had to add something to make it fancy (that is still easy to make of course)!

How to make crispy healthy tofu

Making crispy tofu is nt hard. But making it healthy is. Why? To make crispy Tofu you could just deep fry it and then you have it! But deep frying always comes with a lot of oil and therefore fats! Is there a way to make healthy crispy tofu? Yes there is! In the oven. Usually I am not a big fan of making crispy things in the oven to be honest. They often just turn out lame and without any taste. But not this tofu.

To add some flavour at first, we are marinating it in some soy sauce. This really gives it so much flavour. Then, we need to coat it. It is important to use breadcrumbs here as they will make it the crispiest. And since we want a little asian touch, we add some sesame seeds. So in the end we have a mixture of sesame seeds and breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat the tofu well on each side.

Now we need to bake them. At very high heat! This is an important step. Before baking tough, we need to drizzle some oil. And yes this is essential. baked good just won’t turn out crispy without oil. And they won’t taste as good either! So we drizzle it with oil, so every tofu piece has some oil. And we also make sure they have space between them on the baking sheet. This is important because when the baking sheet is overcrowded, the tofu will rather steam than bake. After baking, we take it out and let it cool a little bit. Just a little bit will allow it to add the final crisp. And then you have it; addictively good healthy baked tofu.

Is this dish healthy?

Yes! I mean, look at the crazy amount of veggies we have in here. All the green veggies add a whole bunch of vitamins and fibre to the dish. The curry paste adds some good spice, the tofu the protein (and it is not deep fried, which means it is way healthier) and the glass noodles our much beloved carbs. A very balanced, delicious and healthy dish!

Substitutes:

Rice Noodles – Soba Noodles, Ramen, Udon
Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Edamamde, .. – truly any veggie you have in your fridge
Green curry paste – any curry paste
Sesame seeds – love them out and use breadcrumbs only

I really really love this dish as a nice and quick dinner or lunch and it also works very well for meal prep! It is full of nutrients, incredibly delicious (and when I say incredible, I mean INCREDIBLE) and super easy to make!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do and will also make it on a regular basis. perfectly comforting for the upcoming colder season too!

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Green Curry Noodles with Crispy Tofu

An incredibly delicious and easy dinner or lunch! Spicy Noodles in a delicious, addictive green curry sauce topped off with some seriously good crispy tofu

Course bowl, dinner, Main Course
Prep Time 10 Minuten
Cook Time 20 Minuten
Total Time 30 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 610 kcal

What you will need

Crispy Tofu

  • 400 g tofu
  • 6 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce

Green Noodles

  • 250 g rice noodles
  • 50 g green curry paste
  • 100 ml coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 100 g broccoli*
  • 100 g edamame*
  • 2 pak choi*
  • 100 g brussel sprouts*
  • 100 g spinach*

How to

  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Cut the Tofu into 1cm sized chunks. Toss them in the soy sauce. In a seperate bowl combine sesame seeds and bread crumbs. Toss the tofu in the mixture and spread them out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure there is space inbetween the chunks. Drizzle the oil and bake for 17-20 minutes. Then take out and let cool a little bit.

  2. In the meantime chop all of the veggies into bite sized chunks. Heat up the oil in a nonstick pan. Once hot fry the veggies for 3-4 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium-low. In a bowl combine the coconut milk with the curry paste until smooth.

  3. Prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions but undercook them for 2 minutes. When done cooking, drain them and add them to the veggies along with the curry sauce and the spinach. Gently mix through until everything is well combined. Divide onto the bowls and top with the crispy tofu! Enjoy!

Notes

*you can use whichever veggies you like or have at home

Happy cooking,
Enjoy,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

Curry Noodle Soup with Lemongrass Meatballs

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This dish honestly is one of my favourite things I have ever made. It is just so good. And so family friendly. The combination of a creamy slightly spicy and refreshing soup with fresh vegetables, dense meatballs and soft noodles. It just is so good. Unbelievable good.

It is something the entire family will love. Meatballs are always a family staple in my opinion and noodles are too. If there are family members who don’t eat meat, they only do veggies and noodles, if there are some who are not the biggest fan of vegetables they can leave them out. It is really versatile and really good.

I do not know how I came up with that Idea but I think I somehow wanted a curry and a noodle soup at the same time so I combined it. And I knew I couldn’t go without some meat for my brother and my dad so I decided to try out something different, something that could easily be eaten in a sop and decided to go for meatballs.

Ground chicken or veal work best for the meatballs but pork or beef works fine too. I have to say though, that I have never tried it out with vegetable mince, because I am worried that this will probably fall apart. Other than the meat in the balls go some lemongrass, fresh is best but dried (in powder) works alright too, some ginger, garlic, soy sauce and cornstarch to hold everything together. It all is diced up finely and then mixed together before being formed into meatballs.

As the base of the soup we use chicken broth because it has most flavour and add in ginger, lemongrass and spring onions to add some asian flavours to the broth. This is all being poured over some curry paste and after simmering for a little while also some canned coconut milk goes into the pot. Coconut milk is such a great addition into soups because it makes everything so much creamier and richer plus it adds a ton of flavour. It really is a healthy go-to for soups!

To finish the meal of we add some pasta to the soup for some carbs and texture. Here I recommend using soba ur glass noodles. Soba noodles are my preferred choice. They originally come from Japan and are made from buckwheat flour. They taste super delicious and have more fibre and protein than regular pasta. If you do not find them near you, you can also substitute them for glass noodles.

And of course, we need some vitamins too, so we are adding some vegetables! Here you can use whatever is in your fridge! Personally, I would recommend using mushrooms, carrots, pak choy, cauliflower, asparagus an broccoli. but if you have any other favourites you are free to add them!

Preparing it all takes a little time because everything needs to be chopped but it is a fun thing to do. Especially forming the meatballs is something kids will love.

I love making this dish as a lunch or a delicious dinner because it is packed with flavour, and nutrients. The entire family loves it and you can still enjoy it the next day if there is something left over (although there probably will be none)!

I hope that this gives you some inspiration to cook good and healthy food for your entire family or just for yourself.

Happy cooking,
Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Curry Noodle Soup with Lemongrass Meatballs

Best soup you will ever make. Spicy and creamy base with dense deliciously fresh meatballs, soft vegetables and dedicant noodles. The best thing ever.

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine asian, thai
Prep Time 30 Minuten
Cook Time 30 Minuten
Total Time 1 Stunde
Servings 4 servings
Calories 596 kcal

What you will need

For the Meatballs:

  • 400 g ground chicken
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 4 cm ginger
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 tbso soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp cornstarch maybe a bit more
  • 1 tbsp oil

For the soup:

  • 25 g curry paste
  • 1,5 l chicken broth
  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 6 cm ginger
  • 2 spring onions
  • 400 ml coconut milk (1 can)
  • 100 g mushrooms *
  • 100 g broccoli *
  • 100 g carrots *
  • 100 g cauliflower *
  • 1 pak choy
  • 150 g soba noodles
  • some fresh spring onions

How to

That is how it works:

  1. For the meatballs peel and mince the lemongrass, ginger and spring onions finely. Combine them in a bowl with the ground meat, soy sauce and the cornstarch. Mix everything well. It shoudl form a sticky consistency so you can form meatballs. It it is not sticky enough, add more cornstarch.

  2. Take one heaped tablespoon at a time from the meat mixture and form it into balls. Heat up the oil in a large pot and fry the meatballs in it for about 10 minutes. Take them out and set them aside.

  3. In the meantime cut up the ginger, lemongras, and spring onions into larger chunks. Combine the curry past with about 3 tablespoons of the coconut milk.

    In the hot pot quickly fry the ginger, lemongras, and spring onions for about 2-3 minutes. Take them out and place them in a tea bag or sieve so they can cook with the broth later. Add the curry paste mixture into the pot any fry this for about one minute before you add the broth and the tea bag. Bring everything to a boil.

    In the meantime chop all of the vegetbales you are using into bite-sized pices. Add in harder veegtables that need longer to cook, like carrot and cauliflower now and boil them for about 5 minutes.

    In the meantime prepare the pasta according to package intructions.

    After the 5 minutes, add in the other vegetables and coconut milk and take out the tea bag. Let everything simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

    When the noodles are done cooking strain them and set aside.

  4. To serve add some meatballs and pasta into a soup bowl. Next, pour the soup and vegetables over and garnish with some spring onions and fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • you can use any vegetables you have in your fridge, they do not need to be those exact ones, 

Steamed Chili Lime Salmon

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A juicy salmon with a spicy, fresh and slightly sweet marinade, steamed to perfection is one of the best light lunches you can have. No matter if it is on top of a salad in summer, some soba noodles or with some creamy rice. Its a delicious, healthy and easy dish which will be added to your weekly meal plans!

I really love steamed fish. I believe that this way it is easiest to not dry them out while cooking, they always taste fresh and they don’t feel like there is a thousand ingredients in the dish. In my favourite Thai restaurant in Vienna, I ALWAYS order their steamed fish, although it is a sea bass and not a salmon but it is so good. You mostly get them at restaurants because many people just have a lot of resect of preparing them, although it is really simple.

Espacially in summer or spring, I feel like this is a great dish because it is super refreshing. Also, you barely have to do any cooking. Just prep a little, them place the steamer on the pot and the magic happens itself. It is great during these hot summer days (which we unfortunately do not have yet, but we can just pretend), where we do not want to spend hours in the kitchen.

Salmon, also is really healthy. It is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are linked to reduced depression, and stress, an increase in happiness and it even is supposed to help with stopping to smoke. These health benefits are all so amazing! Plus salmon has a lot of protein and minerals too! What really is important when preparing salmon is that you buy it in high quality. Best is organic or wild caught. They are more expensive, but they are way better for our health. Non-organic salmons are fed with antibiotics, when then come into our bodies. Too many antibiotics can cause us humans to at some point we can not react to the ones we really need, from the doctor any more. Also, the conditions in which non organic Salmons are raised are often really bad. They stay in their nets and often eat their own poop. It is so shocking, because 25% of non-organic salmons DIE EACH YEAR due to infections or other in the nets. They do not die because they are then going to be sold but because of illnesses.

If you buy a good quality salmon though, you can really taste the difference too. The remaining ingredients are pretty simple. Lime, and some asian sauces that you can get at most supermarkets or otherwise in an asian supermarket. It is best if you marinate the salmon for a few hours before you cook it. If you do not have this time, it is not a big problem either, you can just drizzle the marinade on top of the salmon when it is done and you will also get a lot of flavour, it just is not as intense.

This recipe also works for meal prep and you can still enjoy it the day after. Due to the steaming it does not dry out so it still tastes good the day after. I would keep the sauce separately and pour it over when you want to eat it. You can enjoy it cold or reheat it.

Bon appetit and I hope that you will like it!
Enjoy,

Katie // Une Petite Cuisinière

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Steamed Salmon in Chili Lime Sauce

A refreshing, light, and delicious meal that is packed with flavor and spice. Quick and mealprep friendly!

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine asian, thai
Prep Time 3 Minuten
Cook Time 12 Minuten
Total Time 15 Minuten
Servings 4 servings
Calories 284 kcal

What you will need

  • 600-800 g Salmon organic is best
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar or maple
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 1 red chili
  • 2 spring onion
  • 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
  • rice, salad or noodles to serve it with

How to

That is how it works

  1. In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients excpet for the salmon, half of the cilantro, and half of the spring onions together. Place the salmon in it and let it marinade for 1-4 hours if possible. The longer the better.

  2. In a pot bring some water to a boil. Place the bamboo or regular steamer on top. Place the salmon in the steamer and let it steam for abou 8-12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon. Do not pour the sauce over but keep it aside.

  3. Once the salmon is done, place it on plates. Pour the remaining sauce on top and garnish with the remaining cilantro, spring onions, and a lime wedge.

    Serve & enjoy!

Coconut Curry Lentils

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This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy lentils. In a good and creamy coconut milk, spices, along with some rice, vegetables or bread! A definitely must try! 

When it is rainy outside and you just want some heat and comfort, this is great! It is for days when you don’t want a soup but don’t want meat, just something easy and good. Something as a quick weeknight dinner, that makes you feel awesome, boosts your mood and tastes bomb! The curry lentils are great for this occasion, because ether are super nutritious and packed with flavor and spices. 

A little bit about lentils…

When I made this the first time, I fell in love with it and it made me cook more often with lentils. Lentils are a real amazing food. They are Part of the legume family, along with beans and chickpeas. Lentils, that you can purchase at the supermarkets in Austria are often grown in Austria which makes them a regional product, which is better for the environment since it doesn’t need that much transportation. Moreover, lentils are packed with protein and nutrients! They contain 25g protein per 100g, which is real amazing, that is the same amount as chicken breast contains! They are really easy to cook, basically the same way you cook rice. If you are too lazy too cook them or need them to be done even quicker, you can find some canned ones at the supermarkets too! 

And the other ingredients

The onion and the spices in the beginning, just give the entire dish this kick of flavor. The onion adds the sweetness while the spices heat it up and give the oriental touch. I use dry spices and not curry paste because I believe that it works better with the lentils. To be honest, I have never tried it with curry paste before but if you do want to give it a try I would opt for a red one probably. 

The coconut milk creams up the entire dish and adds richness. I would go for normal canned options and not low fat ones because the flavor is different and it makes it all a little more hearty. Plus it takes it to the next (curry) level. I believe that a real good curry (at least Thai ones) need some coconut milk. The recipe I make is a mix of Thai and Indian, because Indians don’t use coconut milk but the dry spices, and Thai ones use coconut milk and curry paste. So it is a crossover! 

Perfect dish

No matter whether you make this dish for meal prep (because wir works great for that) or prepare it as a vegan Christmas dish or serve it at new year (because it is said that lentils bring money), it is a super delish meal to make. Perfect for friends or family that are vegan, and for those who are not. I hope that you will enjoy it and have a really nice Christmas! 

Enjoy,

Katie

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Coconut Curry Lentils

Comforting, warm, delicious, nutritious. The perfect winter dish, for christmas or new year, for vegan friends, or just to treat yourself! One of the best ways to cook lentils!

Course bowl, dinner, lunch, Main Course
Prep Time 3 Minuten
Cook Time 17 Minuten
Total Time 20 Minuten
Servings 2 servings
Calories 438 kcal

What you will need

  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp paprika powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 120 g red lentils
  • 300 ml vegetable broth
  • 150 ml coconut milk
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp harissa paste
  • 1 tsp peanut butter
  • some spinach or kale to stir in optional
  • some cilantro and peanuts to garnish

How to

Thats how it works:

  1. Finely dice up the onion. In a pot heat up the olive oil and add the onion in. Sauté it for a few minutes until it is all glassy. Then add in the spices and let them in cooperate well for about one minute. Next, pour the lentils into the pot and sauté them for a few seconds before you add the vegetable broth. 

  2. Once it boils, reduce it to a medium-low heat and let them simmer for 15 minutes. They should almost be done by now. Add in the tomato and harissa paste, the peanut butter and the coconut milk. Stir everything in until well combined and creamy. I wished, and on hand, stir in some extra spinach or kale.

  3. Place in bowls and garnish with some peanuts, some coriander and a little extra coconut milk. Serve over rice, vegetables or with bread and enjoy!