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[mmmbento]

Left: bean sprouts (on the bottom), rice noodles, cucumber, mint, scallions, lime
Right: Shrimp curry laksa
Inset: assembled in the lid of my Totoro bowl bento set -- yum!

Another all-time favorite meal makes its way into the bento repertoire. I like to cook up a big batch of the sauce, then, before adding the shrimp at the end, I portion the sauce out into tupperware containers and freeze it. Whenever we feel like laksa, I heat up a batch, add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes and voila!

Curry laksa also makes a yummy bento as it tastes good at room temperature.


Ingredients
2 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp pine nuts, finely ground
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp water
1 lb rice vermicelli noodles
2 14-oz cans light coconut milk
1 14-oz can low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 handful fresh mint leaves, slivered
1 handful bean sprouts
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, sliced into thin 2-inch strips
1 lime, cut into wedges
Sriracha chili sauce Steps

1. Cook rice noodles in boiling water until tender but firm, about 2 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again, and set aside.
2. Combine curry paste, pine nuts, turmeric, and water in a small bowl and mash with a fork.
   
3. In a large, deep skillet, bring 3/4 cup of coconut milk to gentle boil over medium heat, stirring often. Cook for about 3 minutes, until milk thickens a little and bubbles gently. Reduce the heat to low, add the curry paste mixture and cook, stirring and mashing often, until fragrant, softened and thickened, about 4 minutes.
4. Add remaining coconut milk, broth, sugar, and salt. Stir well, increase the heat to medium and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the shrimp. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
6. To serve, top rice noodles in each bowl with bean sprouts and shrimp curry almost to cover the noodles. Garnish with scallions, cucumber, mint, and lime. Serve with Sriracha chili sauce.

* Use gluten-free products.
© Cooking Cute