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    Creamy Curry Noodles with Crispy Tofu

    June 17, 2022

    Fresh, toothsome udon noodles team up with red curry paste and rich, silky coconut milk to become a bowlful of dinnertime bliss in this creamy curry noodle recipe that can easily be made vegan.

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    crispy tofu with creamy curry udon noodles in a saucepan with a serving spoon

    A Creamy Curry Noodle Recipe To Warm You From The Inside Out

    Comfort comes in many forms, and as you may have noticed, one of those forms (for us, at least) is creamy red curry recipes. We love to pair coconut milk and Thai red curry paste with, well, just about everything and this week, we’ve set our hungry sights on noodles! While you could make this dish with most any long noodle you love, we really encourage you to make it with dried Japanese udon noodles—or better yet, fresh ones, if you can find them! They’re just unbeatable for their gorgeous, slightly chewy texture and they’re a bit thicker than other long noodles, we like the extra heft they bring to the dish, too. Crisp up some tofu, sauté some veggies, make a creamy coconut red curry sauce and toss it all together and voila! A quick, healthy, hearty dinner—and if you use a vegan red curry paste, it even qualifies for meatless Monday!

    tofu, shallots, yellow curry powder, red curry paste, garlic =, ginger, baby boy chop, green onions, coconut milk
    raw tofu draining on a kitchen towel
    fried tofu in a bowl
    baby bok choy and green onions in a frying pan with canola oil

    Everything You’ll Need To Make Creamy Red Curry Curry Noodles

    These creamy curry noodles actually get their curry-ness in not one, but two doses! We use our beloved Thai red curry paste, but we also add a bit of yellow curry powder, too. While red curry paste is Thai, yellow curry powder is India in origin—or at least, inspired by the many and various curries of India. The spice blend can vary a bit from brand to brand, but they’re usually a mix of turmeric, chili powder, ground coriander, cumin as well as other spices.

    • Extra firm tofu, drained
    • Baby bok choy
    • Green onions
    • Vegetable oil
    • Shallots
    • Sugar
    • Udon noodles
    • Sesame oil
    • Fresh garlic
    • Fresh ginger
    • Thai red curry paste. If you want your creamy curry noodles to be vegan, be sure to look for a vegan red curry paste—many brands include fish sauce or dried shrimp.
    • Yellow curry powder
    • Coconut milk
    Creamy Curry sauce with bok choy and green onions in a saucepan
    Crispy Tofu with Creamy Curry Udon Noodles in a sauce pan with fried shallots, baby bok choy, and green onions

    How To Make Creamy Coconut Curry Noodles with Crispy Tofu

    1. 30 minutes before you’re ready to start cooking, cube and strain the tofu. This will get it really nice and dry so that it’ll fry up nicely.
    2. Sauté the tofu. This is when boring old tofu becomes delicious, crispy tofu!
    3. Boil the udon noodles. Let them cook while you finish up the creamy curry sauce.
    4. Fry the baby bok choy and scallions.
    5. Begin to build the creamy red curry sauce on top of the bok choy by adding the garlic, ginger, curry paste, curry powder, soy sauce and the coconut milk.
    6. Reduce the sauce a bit to thicken it, then stir in the noodles and tofu.
    7. Serve while it's piping hot!
    Crispy Tofu with Creamy Curry Udon Noodles in a sauce pan with fried shallots, baby bok choy, and green onions

    Tools You’ll Need:

    More Creamy Red Curry Recipes to Try

    Crispy Tofu with Creamy Curry Udon Noodles in a sauce pan with fried shallots, baby bok choy, and green onions
    Crispy Tofu with Creamy Curry Udon Noodles in a sauce pan with fried shallots, baby bok choy, and green onions

    New Fave?!

    If you make these creamy red curry noodles with crispy tofu, let us know how you like them! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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    Creamy Curry Noodles with Crispy Tofu

    Updated on June 17, 2022

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories:  447
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    Ingredients

    • 16 oz extra firm tofu, water drained
    • 1 lb baby bok choy
    • 1 bunch bunch green onions
    • 2-3 cups vegetable oil
    • 2 large shallots, thinly sliced (⅓ pound)
    • 1 ¼ tsp salt
    • 1 ¼ tsp sugar
    • 8 oz udon noodles
    • 2 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
    • 2 tsp minced, fresh ginger
    • 2 tsp red curry paste (vegan if desired)
    • 1 Tbsp yellow curry powder
    • 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
    • 1 Tbsp soy sauce

    Method

    1. Cut the tofu into 1-inch squares and drain on a plate between 2 kitchen towels for 30 minutes.
    2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat (4 quarts water + 2 teaspoons salt).
    3. Trim the ends of the bok choy, (discard) chop the white parts and roughly chop the green parts, set aside. Trim the ends ofd the green onions (discard), slice the white parts in half lengthwise and then chop all the green onions in 3-inch pieces, set aside.
    4. Fill a large frying pan with oil (1/2 -inch deep) and heat on high. When the oil is thoroughly heated (sizzles when the tofu is dropped in) place all the tofu in and fry until golden browned on the bottom (about 10 minutes) flip over and fry the other side until golden brown.
    5. Remove the tofu from the pan onto a paper towel lined plate, reserve oil.
    6. Add the shallots to the oil and fry until golden brown, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove shallots from the oil into a paper towel lined bowl and sprinkle immediately with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp sugar, both optional, toss to coat.
    7. Add the udon noodles to the boiling water and cook according to the package.
    8. Heat the sesame oil in a separate large skillet (or the same one if you carefully discard the hot oil) set over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the bok choy and green onions and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the red curry and yellow curry and stir for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk and soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt (to taste) and 1 teaspoon sugar, optional.
    9. Whisk the sauce until fully combined with the curry paste. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat to low and simmer until slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes.
    10. Drain the noodles and add them along with the tofu to the sauce, toss to coat. Serve topped with crispy shallots and extra green onions if desired.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 447
    • Protein 15 g
    • Carbohydrates 37 g
    • Total Fat 28 g
    • Dietary Fiber 4 g
    • Cholesterol 0 mg
    • sodium 357 mg
    • Total Sugars 4 g

    Creamy Curry Noodles with Crispy Tofu

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Diana

      Can I freeze the leftovers that I don't eat?

      Unfortunately this dish doesn't freeze well.

    • Margaret

      This recipe looks amazing! I'd like to cook it and bring it to a friend, but she lives about twenty minutes away. If I cook it before leaving, will it keep for the twenty minutes before arrival?

      That should be fine, hope our friend enjoys it!

    • Rachel

      It was amazing and so hearty! I think next time I'll try it with rice noodles instead of udon so it doesn't sit so heavy in my stomach, but the flavors are incredible. I really loved the fried shallots on top.

      Thanks Rachel, we are so happy you loved it!

    • Claire

      great recipe, the whole family loved it. it was an absolute hit with the grandchildren

      So happy to hear the whole family loved it! YAY! Thank you Claire!

    • Tristan

      Really yummy recipe. I doubled the udon because my husband and I both love them. I also used napa cabbage instead of bok choy because my supermarket didn't have it, and it as great - same effect. Aaaand I did air fryer tofu because I don't like dealing with the oil. The overall effect seemed to be the same though, and make for a delicious bowl.

      Thanks Tristan, we are so glad you enjoyed it, thanks for trying it out!

    • S

      Amazing recipe, I’ve already made it thrice in two weeks!

      No way! This is so great to hear! We are so happy you love it so much!

    • Hillary

      This was such a success! It's not too often that my version looks exactly like the picture on the recipe. This looked great and tasted wonderful. My kids thought it was a little spicy, so I may back off the red curry paste to 1t., but my husband and I thought it was perfect.
      (just a quick note: there is a typo in step 10 "and and")

      Thank you (and thank you)!