Turmeric Coconut Noodles
This hug-in-a-bowl meal comes together super easily thanks to a beautiful, golden paste made of aromatics. Instead of meticulously dicing and mincing our aromatics, we give them a whirl in a blender, which saves so much time. The paste is then used to flavor coconut milk and veggies, which are served with cellophane noodles.
If you’ve never tried cellophane (a.k.a. glass) noodles before, you’re in for a treat. They might be my favorite kind of noodle. They are usually gluten-free (made of starch, like mung bean starch, potato/sweet potato starch, etc.) and have such a fun texture/mouthfeel. I especially love them in coconut milk dishes.
Hope you’ll give this cozy meal a try in this final stretch of winter!
Turmeric Coconut Noodles with Baked Tempeh or Tofu
serves 4
8 oz/225 g tempeh, sliced 1⁄4” thick OR 14 oz/395 g or 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
1-2 tablespoons tamari or coconut aminos
1 tablespoon maple syrup
avocado oil or coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
2” piece ginger, roughly chopped (see note)
2” piece turmeric, roughly chopped (see note)
6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 red chile, seeded and roughly chopped
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 13.5 oz (380 g) can full fat coconut milk
1 medium-large head broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
4 oz (115 g) cellophane noodles
juice from 1 lime
sliced green onion, for garnishing
Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Set a pot of water to boil for the noodles. Prepare a parchment lined baking sheet. Add the tempeh or tofu to the baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon tamari if using tempeh, 2 tablespoons if using tofu, along with the maple syrup, and oil to taste, mix to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip the tempeh or tofu and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden, with some crispy edges. Keep warm.
While the tempeh/tofu is cooking, in an upright blender, combine the onion, ginger, turmeric, garlic, chile, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Add a splash of water and blend until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to get the blender going.
Set a large pot over medium heat, add enough avocado or coconut oil to coat the bottom. Add the turmeric paste to the pot and cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes, until fragrant and a little more concentrated. Add the coconut milk, 2 cups of water, and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the broccoli and bell pepper, along with another pinch of salt. Bring the mixture back up to a simmer and let cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.
While the coconut broth is cooking, cook the cellophane noodles according to the packaging instructions. Drain and snip the noodles with kitchen scissors a few times (they tend to be really long). Add the noodles to the pot with the coconut broth, mix to combine and let heat back up if needed. Turn off the heat and mix in the lime juice. Taste the broth for salt and adjust if needed. To serve, arrange some noodles in the bottom of each bowl using tongs, then ladle the broth and vegetables over top. Add the tempeh/tofu to the bowls, garnish with green onion and enjoy.
Notes
If using organic turmeric and ginger, I usually don’t worry about peeling them for this recipe, since they will be blended into a paste.
Cellophane or glass noodles can often be found next to other noodles (soba, rice noodles) in grocery stores in the U.S. or at specialty markets.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
The turmeric paste concept can be interpreted many different ways. You can blend up aromatics like this for any soup/stew that you’re making, to speed things up. For example, you could blend onion, celery, carrot, and garlic for a soup. Aromatic paste can also be frozen, and it’s a very handy thing to have on hand (see my freezer bouillon recipe for more on this).