Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for jackfruit khanom chin, or Thai red curry noodles

From theguardian.com

Meaty jackfruit takes the place of fish in this fresh and fragrant Thai-style curry with vermicelli noodles 

Forget about breakfast at Tiffany’s: breakfast in Phuket is where it’s at. At Pa Mai, you can pull up a plastic stool to a table resplendent with the finest herbs, pickles and fresh fruit Thailand has to offer. And those are just the accoutrements: the star of the show is the khanom chin buffet, where coils of handmade, fermented rice noodles sit waiting for you to ladle over your choice of (frankly, an embarrassment) of coconut milk curries. Back home in the UK, my breakfasts are not quite so leisurely, but my evening meals sometimes are, and that’s when I’d recommend you indulge in this slice of Thai paradise.

Jackfruit khanom chin

Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food Styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Eden Owen-Jones. Photo assistant and retouching: Sophie Bronze

Khanom chin curries tend to be fish-based (although they’re not always), so I’ve taken the liberty of using tinned jackfruit (either in water or brine), which makes an excellent substitute.

Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 2 with leftovers

160g rice vermicelli noodles
Rapeseed oil
120g cucumber, thinly sliced
3 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
Fine sea salt
20g fresh mint, leaves picked to get 10g
20g fresh coriander, thicker stems removed, to get 10g

For the jackfruit curry
4 garlic cloves (24g), peeled
20g root ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
30g galangal paste
60g (or 3½ tbsp) Thai red curry paste – I like Thai Taste
800g tinned jackfruit in water or brine (ie 2 standard tins)
400ml tinned coconut milk
6 fresh makrut lime leaves (or frozen, if need be)
1 tbsp vegan fish sauce – again, I like Thai Taste

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse under the cold tap until cold to the touch. Drain again, then add a tablespoon of oil and toss to coat.

Take a quarter or an eighth of the cooked noodles, then wrap into a coil around your fingers and put on a plate. Repeat with the remaining noodles, so you have four or eight nests of noodles, then cover and put to one side.

Next, make the pickle. Put the sliced cucumber in a small serving bowl, add the rice-wine vinegar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and mix well. Put all the herbs on a small plate and keep that alongside the cucumber.

Now for the curry. Put the garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pound to a paste, or until all the ginger and garlic has broken down (alternatively, grate or very finely chop the garlic and ginger). Add the galangal and curry paste, and mix well.

Drain the jackfruit and put it in a large bowl. With clean hands, pull it apart into individual fibres, which should take about five minutes.

Put a tablespoon of oil in a wide frying pan on a medium heat and, when it’s hot, add the curry paste mixture and fry, stirring, for three minutes. Add the jackfruit, stir-fry for another three minutes, then add a half-teaspoon of salt, the coconut milk and the lime leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Stir in a tablespoon of vegan fish sauce, then take off the heat.

Keep the curry in the pan or transfer it to a serving bowl, and put it on the table with the noodle plate, cucumber pickle and herbs alongside. Serve a little of everything on each plate, or eat as you wish.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/apr/06/vegan-jackfruit-khanom-chin-thai-red-curry-recipe-meera-sodha