Chiang Mai Chicken Noodle

"December Mystery Box Madness Challenge", the theme for this week at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC). We must make a dish that contains at least 3 of the ingredients listed in this month's Mystery Box ; chocolate, cherries, cinnamon, rolled oats, couscous, pomegranate, curry (powder/paste), coconut milk, lentils, and hot peppers/chilli, from any of our previous or current featured chefs' recipes.

I've decided to cook one of Diana Henry's Asian style noodle recipe, taken from her cookbook, "Food From Plenty".

Chiang Mai Chicken Noodle

Used these three ingredients, from the Mystery Box ; Red curry paste, Coconut Milk, and Chilli

This is a simple and easy noodle dish. The great thing about this cookbook is, there are loads of recipes which uses leftover roasts or meats and even veggies, so that nothing goes to waste. In this recipe, she uses leftover cooked chicken. I do not have any leftover cooked chicken, but I've used half a chicken breast meat cooked with some homemade chicken stock. Firstly I made some quick simple chicken stock by simmering two chicken carcass with some carrots and onion for about an hour. I then added into the stock, half a piece of chicken breast meat, letting it cook in the stock for about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breast meat, let it cool a little and cut into bite size chunks. Strain the stock and use it for the recipe.

Once the stock is done, the cooking of the curry soup comes together rather quickly. The sliced onion are sauteed in a little oil until golden, then the sliced garlic are added in, to which I've added 2 stalks of lemon grass, the white part which I've bruised lightly and fry with the garlic until aromatic. Add in the ground turmeric and red curry paste, fry for a few minutes until fragrant, then the coconut milk and stock are added in, bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes. Add in the cooked chicken and fish sauce to taste. Cook noodle as per packet instructions, divide noodles in bowls and ladle hot curry soup over, garnish with chopped coriander, chopped spring onions and finely sliced red chilli. Serve hot with a wedge of lime.

My notes/changes : In the recipe, the amount of stock used is only 200ml, together with 400ml of coconut milk, to me, it is not enough to serve four bowls of noodles. I have used about slightly more than a litre of chicken stock and 300ml of coconut milk. Which is enough for 4 bowls of noodles. We love more soup or gravy for curry noodles! Also I have added in 2 stalks of lemongrass and have omitted the sugar. For the red curry paste, I've used about 4-5 tablespoons, to taste,  since I've used more stock. I did not add the lime juice to the curry soup, preferring to serve the noodles with the limes for individual serving. I've used calamansi limes from my garden pot and they were very large and juicy! I've added some fish balls to which I've added into the curry stock together with the chicken breast chunks, simply because my both my son and daughter love fish balls in soupy noodles.

We certainly enjoyed this bowl of noodles. Rather a mild curry noodle, but tastes really nice. Thumbs up from my son and daughter, and one that I would cook again.

Chiang Mai Chicken Noodle
(adapted from "Food From Plenty", Diana Henry)
Serves 4
For the Noodles :
groundnut oil
1 onion, sliced into crescent moon shapes, or 6 shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, white part, bruised (my addition)
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tbsp red Thai curry paste (I've used about 4-5 tablespoons)
400ml can coconut milk
200ml (7fl oz) chicken stock (I've used about slightly more than 1 litre of homemade stock)
350gm (12 oz) leftover cooked chicken, in chunks
1/2 tsp soft light brown sugar, or to taste (did not use)
2 tsp fish sauce, or to taste
juice of 1/2 lime,  or to taste
400gm (14oz) egg noodles

To serve :
2 spring onions, chopped on the diagonal
1 red chilli, halved, deseeded and shredded
2 tbsp chopped coriander
wedges of lime

Put 1 tbsp of the oil into a saucepan and saute the onion or shallots until golden. Add the garlic (and lemongrass, if using) and cook for 2 minutes, then add the turmeric and curry paste. Stir for 1 minute until the spices become fragrant. Add the coconut milk and stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Add the chicken and heat through thoroughly. Season with the sugar and fish sauce and adjust it to your taste; you may want lime or more sugar.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Divide them between four bowls, spoon over the chicken curry and sprinkle over the spring onions, chilli and coriander. Offer wedges of lime to serve.

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I'm linking this post with I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), theme for this week "Mystery Box Madness"

and 

Cook-Your-Books #19 @ kitchen flavours