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Saucy, creamy 20 Minute Red Curry Noodles with Fried Coconut Garlic. The best quick and easy spring noodles! Make these saucy noodles with whatever you have on hand, I used a mix of zucchini, then stirred in lots of coconut milk and rice noodles. Add some heat with curry paste, and balance it all out with a squeeze of lime. The best part…all you need for this recipe are pantry ingredients and just about 20 minutes!
These curry noodles couldn’t be easier, AND they ended up being one of my favorite recipes of the week! I’ve been wanting to make Thai red curry noodles for a while but held off until I had just the right idea. I wanted mine to be simple…but just a touch different too!
I was inspired by the Thai basil plants growing in the pantry and my brother’s trip to Thailand. It’s been a while since I did a good saucy curry. So I decided to brainstorm a bit until I finally came up with the perfect saucy noodle!
Here are the details…
As you can imagine, the details are pretty simple, but everything starts with that fried coconut garlic. What is fried coconut garlic you ask? Well, it’s fried garlic with the addition of coconut flakes, so it’s even more delicious.
Most curry noodles come just as is, in their delicious curry, and topped with fresh herbs and lime juice. As I mentioned, I wanted mine to stand out a bit. A nice, salty-sweet garlic crunch sounded just perfect for topping my noodles. And that’s just what the fried coconut garlic adds. It gives a crunch plus a salty-sweet, garlicky bite. Totally delicious and makes the noodles “extra special”.
Once the garlic is fried up, everything comes together extremely quickly. For the noodles, I love using thicker cut linguine style rice noodles or egg noodles, but super-thin vermicelli rice noodles work great too if you prefer thin! Really, use whatever noodle you love or have on hand. Just be sure to find a noodle that will hold up well in a good amount of curry sauce.
Now that sauce! You’ll need three key ingredients: veggies, curry paste, and coconut milk.
For the veggies, again, you can use whatever you have on hand…bell peppers, broccoli zucchini, they all work, so use what you like or what you have. Cook up the veggies, then add the curry paste, coconut milk, and a dash of soy sauce. You could throw in some fish sauce too, which would be delicious. Simmer everything for a minute or two.
Toss the noodles with the sauce, and guys that’s it. SIMPLE is the name of the game here.
Some notes for you!
I love a spicy red Thai curry paste (my favorite is the Thai Kitchen brand) and full-fat canned coconut milk. The curry paste and coconut milk are key to this recipe. They are the flavor and the creaminess to the curry, so don’t skimp on them!
As soon as the curry is done, serve it up with lots of that fried garlic crunch on top. It’s important to eat the curry as soon as you toss it with the noodles. The noodles will soak up all that amazing sauce pretty quickly.
Finish with some spicy chili peppers, lots of fresh Thai basil, and lime juice. Dinner in just about twenty minutes and made using pantry staples…plus whatever vegetable you’ve got on hand!
I love a fancy meal, but there’s really something to be said about a simple dish like this. They’re always so well loved!
Looking for other quick 20 minute recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
20 Minute Honey Garlic Cashew Chicken and Coconut Noodles
20 Minute Florentine Butter Chicken with Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp in 20 Minutes
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Red Curry Noodles with Fried Coconut Garlic, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Red Curry Noodles with Fried Coconut Garlic
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 601 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 4 tablespoons sesame oil
- 6-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons finely shredded coconut
- flaky salt
- 2 zucchini or summer squash diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 teaspoons honey
- juice from 1 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh basil or cilantro, roughly chopped
- fresno peppers, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Cook rice noodles according to packaged directions. 2. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the coconut and cook until the garlic is crisp and the coconut is toasted, about 2 minutes. Spoon the mix out of the skillet and drain onto a paper towel, season with salt. 3. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the zucchini and cook 2-3 minutes until softened. Stir in the curry paste and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.4. Pour in the coconut milk, 1/3 cup water, soy sauce, and honey. Stir to combine, bring the mixture to a boil, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. If the sauce thickens too much, add additional water to thin. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and basil.5. To serve, divide the noodles and sauce between bowls. Top with peppers, fresh basil, and the fried garlic.
One of my favorites! Usually, I make it as instructed but tonight I was missing ginger, lime, basil, and the coconut topping. I just threw some garlic in w/ the zucchini and made it from there. Definitely not as fun but still SO good- even with a spare pantry! Thanks for this one, it’s a staple!
Hey Sami,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback. I’m glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Holy moly! This was restaurant quality! It did take me an hour rather than 20 minutes, but the wait was worth it. So flavorful, so delicious, will definitely be making it again.
Hey Julija,
Happy Friday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Another great recipe!
Thanks Tieghan
Made this today and it turned out lovely
Hey Fathima,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious! I added cubed tofu, broccoli, carrots and snap peas. I added some crushed peanuts on top as a garnish and it was wonderful! Will be making again!
Hey Maggie,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful holiday weekend ?? xTieghan
Delicious! Will absolutely be adding to my rotation. Perfect and comforting after a long day and I don’t really feel like cooking.
Hey Kristen,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I made this last night – added Tofu (for me) and chicken (for my husband) also added broccoli. 🙂 It was awesome – can’t wait to eat the leftovers tonight for dinner! Your recipes are my “go to” whenever I’m looking for something delicious!
Hey Trish,
Fantastic! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan
We made this recipe recently and it is true – it was so quick! I appreciated the added texture with the coconut – the coconut ended up being really flavorful. Given how easy it was I am not too disappointed that the flavor of the curry was missing some depth. Maybe that’s how it is intended to taste but I found the curry with the coconut milk missing something. May a bit more soy sauce next time around?
Looking forward to trying this one again!
Hey Jacqueline,
Wonderful! That’s so great to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Sorry the flavor wasn’t as strong as you thought it would be. Have a great Friday:) xTieghan
Does this recipe store well? I’d like to meal prep this for the week.
Hey there,
I would just keep the noodles separate so they do not become soggy. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was so yummy! I added a bell pepper, and some air fried tofu for some protein. The garlic coconut topping takes it to another level.
Hey Jenn,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
What if I want to add chicken to this recipe at which stage should I cook it?
Hey Ahdab,
I would actually cook the chicken separately in some curry seasoning and then add to the dish at the end. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Just made it! Super yummy and easy! I think I added too much like so it wasn’t as sweet as I like my curry, but was still good!! Can’t wait to make again!
Hey Makailey,
I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try!! xxTieghan
This was so fast and easy, was the perfect rainy day dinner! 10/10 will make again (we especially loved the garlic/coconut topping)
Hey Shelley,
I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try!! xxTieghan
Is there anyway to link the recipes to the instagram video post? I find it so much easier to follow the videos of you cooking! It would be super helpful! <3
Hey Rebecca,
So sorry, unfortunately this is not something that we are able to do at this time! xTieghan
Flavor is fantastic, love using whatever veggies I’ve got in the fridge. Went with bok choy, shiitakes and zucchini. Perfect dinner!
Hey Kali,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was delicious and exactly what I wanted for dinner tonight!!
Hey Lindsay,
Happy Friday! I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan