Thai Noodle Bowls

Ever since eating at this amazing place in DC where the noodle bowls and dumplings flowed like honey, I can't get noodle bowls out of my head. The noodles bowls in this restaurant (that I can't remember the name of to save my life) were served in giant bowls, and came steaming hot to the table with a pair of chopsticks and some fresh garnishes and hot sauces to add as you please. Rice noodles have a special place in my heart. Yum.

So, a few nights ago Jacob and I decided to re-create something similar. Lots of veggies were chopped.

And lots of extras were pulled out of corners (not pictured, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and tumeric powder). I actually purchased these rice noodles at world market not too long ago, but you can usually find rice noodles in a regular grocery store in the asian foods section. Get the ones that look like they are about the same thickness as linguine. The mushrooms are canned (normally I can't stand canned mushrooms), but they're better than normal canned mushrooms. They're called straw mushrooms and can also be found on the asian foods aisle. The coconut cream was something I picked up at Trader Joes last time I was in the Raleigh, NC area. This stuff is awesome, but regular coconut milk would work just fine as well! Lastly, ground ginger in a jar. This stuff is not dried, it's fresh and it saves a lot of time peeling and grating fresh ginger but still holds the same taste qualities. Plus, it lasts forever in the fridge! Whew, moving along now...

We added some tofu to this version, but you could easily make these bowls with chicken or beef as well.

While the tofu was sautéing in a little sesame oil and soy sauce, I went ahead and boiled some water and cooked the noodles. 

After the noodles were tender, I strained them and place some in each bowl that they were being served in. 

Then, I started cooking the veggies/broth. Start by sautéing the onion, carrot, and yellow squash. Once those veggies are tender, add a pinch of red pepper flakes, tumeric, salt to taste, and coconut cream (or coconut milk).

Add the bok choy, kale, and mushrooms and cook until the greens wilt. Then, add enough water so that the mixture looks like a hearty soup. Add salt or soy sauce to taste again at this point (it may need more than you expect). Once the soup mixture is heated through, place the cooked protein of your choice (in this case, tofu) on top of the noodles, and ladle the broth and veggie mixture on top.

Stir the mixture up a little, and add some garnishes if you please. Pictured here, some sesame seeds and a few more red pepper flakes.

The perfect dinner that will fill you up and warm you up in no time. And the leftovers are great for lunch the next day!