Thai Ginger Rice Noodles

By OhApril

Puree lots of ginger, galangal, lemongrass, and chiles into a sauce, pour it over hearty rice noodles, and serve with a few condiments and you've got an amazing colorful dish in about 15 minutes that packs as much flavor as any Thai curry! You can use the sauce from this dish with lots of other dishes, too.

Ingredients

• The Sauce:
• 3 ” piece of ginger
• 1 ” piece of galangal
• 2 dried red Thai chiles
• 2 ” piece of lemongrass
• 3 shallots
• 6 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1 tbsp. of crushed wakame
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 1 cup of water
• Sprinkling of roasted chile powder
• Noodles and Condiments:
• 8 oz. of thick rice noodles
• 1 diced green Thai long chile
• 1 cup of Chinese watercress, spinach, or other similar green
• 1/2 cup of bean sprouts
• 2 small sprigs of Thai basil
• Option: Cubed tofu

Details

Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 15mins

Preparation

Step 1

Roughly chop all the ingredients for the sauce.
Simmer those ingredients in the water and coconut milk for about 5 minutes.
Puree all of this into a smooth sauce.
Cook the noodles.
Sauté the greens until they are reduced.
Dice the chile.
Place the sauce in two different small bowls and sprinkle chile powder on top.
Place the noodles in two larger bowls, plate each condiment, and serve.

Kitchen Equipment
Wok
Pot
Blender
Knife
Cutting Board
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Stirring Spoon
Colander

Presentation
Serve the noodles in one bowl, the sauce in another, and the condiments each in separate bowls or separated on a large plate.

Time Management
Once the ingredients for the sauce start cooking, I cook the noodles and prep the condiments. It may be a bit hectic, but the dish comes together in just a few minutes this way.

Complementary Food and Drinks
This is a meal in itself. The only other item I may serve it with would be cut fresh fruit.

Where to Shop
While all of these ingredients are relatively common, except for the galangal and Thai long chiles, I prefer to get everything at the Asian market. Not only will you get the best price on everything, you can usually find fresh noodles there. I have also found that Trader Joe’s has some great semi‐fresh noodles for this dish. If you can’t get a hold of the galangal, don’t stress it and just omit it.
Approximate cost per serving is $1.00.

How It Works
The sauce has a bite to it, not necessarily from the chiles, but from the pure ginger. Galangal adds a complimentary flavor to the ginger (plus, it is simply used out of habit in a vast amount of Thai dishes). The wakame replaces both the saltiness and ocean flavor imparted by the dried shrimp used in the traditional recipe. Basically, the sauce is a hot, salty, pungent, coconut sauce with a bite! Unlike many sauces, you do not eat around the galangal, chiles, etc. With this one, they are simmered until they are soft enough to puree and become part of the sauce itself.

Chef’s Notes
This bowl is an explosion of flavor! It is in your face with all the ingredients and dares you to come
back for me.

Nutritional Facts (per serving)
Calories 572
Calories from Fat 108
Fat 12 g
Total Carbohydrates 105 g
Dietary Fiber 7 g
Sugars 2 g
Protein 11 g
Salt 726 mg

Interesting Facts
As ginger root ages in the ground, it becomes much more potent.