here’s what i did:
mash together:
- 1 can red or kua curry paste
- about 3 tablespoons cubed dry roasted ginger
- about 2 tablespoons dry roasted shallots
- about 1 teaspoon dry roasted coriander seeds
- about 2 teaspoons turmeric
- about 1 tablespoon curry powder
(if you’ve never made curry paste, the general rule is start with the dry/hard first and work to the wet. i started with grinding up the coriander seeds in my mortar first, then the ginger, shallots, added the curry paste (cheating, i know), then the turmeric and curry powder)
fry the paste in oil on medium heat until darker colored and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. add 1 can of chao koh coconut milk and simmer for about 5 more mins. add oyster mushrooms and/or pre fried tofu, and about 2 can’s worth of water to thin it. i also added a mushroom buillion cube. season with a few dashes of dark and light soy sauce and about a tablespoon of palm sugar.
deep fry some bah-mi noodles (chinese wheat noodles) in oil and dry on a cookie cooling rack to keep crisp (don’t use paper towels!). boil more bah mi noodles and set into a bowl. cover with the curry and place some fried noodles on top. garnish with chinese pickled mustard greens, chopped shallots and season with homemade chili oil.
homemade chili oil: dry roast dried prik kee nuu chilies (the little thai ones) until brown. grind up. throw 1/2 cup oil in your pan and heat it up, then add the chili powder back in and cook it until it starts to brown a bit more. you don’t want to burn it, just light brown. warning: this shit is spicy.