Yet another freaky food bank recipe: Thai green curry pasta!
Honestly, this was a surprise for me as well. I essentially made it on a whim, and sometimes my food whims are often...less than successful. I basically wanted to make carbonara, but I lacked both milk and bacon. I also had in my larder a can of Thai green curry soup that I was absolutely certain woud destroy Will's digestive system if I tried to feed it to him. So I took the plunge. If, like me, you've never heard of Thai green curry soup, it's apparently the spiciest thing on their menu. It uses coconut milk as a base, and contains bamboo shoots. The green chiles in it seem hotter than jalapenos, so be warned.
1 can Thai Green Curry Soup
1 lb. Whole wheat spaghetti
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. Parmesan
1 tsp. oil (olive oil is best, though I used canola)
Spices: Salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder
This is actually quite simple, though my strategy was slightly more complex. Boil the pasta in a nice big pot of salted water, reserve one cup of the salty cooking water and drain, before returning to the pot. Next dump the soup, eggs, oil, cooking water, and spices in and warm for several minutes on low heat until bits of the egg appear, indicating they're cooked. At this point, turn off the heat and let sit covered for ten minutes, though you can leave it for longer if you have other things to do. Fold in the cheese while still warm and before serving.
Even if you don't like spicy food, you end up with something you just might catch yourself gobbling down. Like cayenne-based heat, the green chile hits you hard at first, but then it fades a bit, leaving a nice flavor. Don't be put off from the smell wafting from the dish, by the way. Coconut milk smells odd, but tastes pretty great. Oh, my strategy? You can see it above. The hot pasta absorbs the heat, distributing it so that it doesn't hit you all at once. The cook water thing is about conservation. The starch cooked out of the pasta helps thicken the sauce, and the heat and salt help too. That's a thing I do every time I make pasta, now. You don't see restaurants rinsing their spaghetti, either, and neither should anyone.