This recipe is inspired by one that our friends made us one night when we went over for dinner. This was the first time I’d ever had any sort of curry. And omg. This blew my mind. I made her send me the recipe before we even left and it quickly became part of our weekly dinner rotation.

During COVID-19 this became an especially useful recipe because it uses a lot of pantry staples. Besides the chicken and veggies, I had almost all of the ingredients on hand at any given moment. At this point I had also started buying a few frozen bags of green bags whenever I braved the grocery store. Fresh produce could be hard to find and frozen veggies were a life saver in getting us through long stretches between grocery runs.

One night I went to make this and realized I had just used the last of my rice (I think the original recipe calls for basmati but I almost always have a giant bag of jasmine so I use that) and the red bell pepper in my fridge was rotten. What I did have was ramen noodles (like the ones you ate in college) and a butt ton of jalapeños I had gotten in a produce box.

So, I chopped up a jalapeño and threw that in and instead of the rice I cooked up two packets of ramen noodles, sans the little sodium death packets. And oh my god. I didn’t think this recipe could get better but it did. I personally loved that the noodles soaked up some of the broth. I also love spicy things.

I highly recommend giving the original recipe a try, but if you’re looking for a little extra spice and love a noodle, give this version a try too.

You’ll need:

  • 2 tbs peanut oil
  • 1 tbs fish oil
  • 1 can of coconut milk, 13.5oz. I strongly believe you should use full fat coconut milk.
  • Yellow curry paste. I also use red if that’s what I have. I think the recipe calls for 2 tbs but I honestly just use the entire 4 oz can, because why the heck not.
  • 1 whole onion, chopped. I usually use white or yellow, whatever I have. And sometimes I only use half if I have some leftover from something else.
  • Green beans. Don’t get me wrong, I love fresh produce. But once I started using frozen green beans I never went back. I HATE snapping beans, I don’t have the patience. So I just dump a whole 16 oz bag of cut green beans in. Vegetables are good for you, might as well use a lot of them.
  • 1-2 jalapeños, chopped. If you don’t like spicy things, I would definitely opt for the red bell pepper. Or use one pepper and remove the seeds. Since I practically drank Red Hot as a child, I use two jalapeños, seeds in. PSA: if you are sensitive to heat, use gloves when you handle jalapeños or wash your hands right after! I also have found that rubbing my fingers with a little olive oil or butter will keep them from absorbing the spice.
  • 1 lb of chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes. I buy chicken in family packs of boneless skinless breasts, so I use 2-3 breasts depending on how hungry we are.
  • Ramen or rice. Like I said, I love the ramen. I couldn’t find any other ramen noodles besides the kind with the little packets of flavor. So I use 2-3 bricks of noodles and pitch the little packets of flavor.
  1. If you’re using rice, I would start that first. If you’re using ramen, you can wait and cook that at the end, it takes like 5 minutes.
  2. Heat 2 tbs of peanut oil in large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is warm, toss in your curry paste and whisk for 1-2 minutes or until the curry is fragrant.
  3. Add the chicken and let it brown on all sides, 3-5 minutes.
  4. Add in the coconut milk, fish oil, onion, peppers, and green beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10-12 minutes. I usually just simmer until the green beans are cooked so if you’re using fresh beans this won’t take as long.
  5. If you’re using ramen, you can cook that in a separate pot and then strain. I like to throw the noodles right in with the curry when they’re done so they soak up a little of the broth. If that’s not your thing, you can just top the rice or ramen with the curry.

I never use the lime, crushed peanuts, or cilantro on top because honestly I rarely have those things kicking around. If you have them, I’m sure its delicious. Instead, I top mine with sriracha. Because, spicy.

And that’s it! Really simple, minimal dishes, and super delicious. If you try both, let me know which version you like better! Also, drop your favorite curry recipes below, I’m always looking for new ones to try!

Cheers!

-Molly