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The last time it snowed in New York City in October was 1925, when a nor’easter blew in and dropped .8 inches on the city. By comparison, the storm that hit the city two Saturdays ago dropped over four inches of snow, slowed traffic and cuddled Halloween plans for young and old alike. Not to mention it was only the fourth time in history NYC has seen snow before Halloween. To say the least we were all caught unawares and really the only thing to do was to stay inside with hot cider, blankets and companions new and old to weather out the storm. Luckily it also gave me a fantastic excuse to try out curry noodle soup. Curry is about the easiest of my take-out favorites to make at home. Made with lots of veggies, minimal oil and light coconut milk the resulting curry is not only a delicious, warming meal but also extremely healthy and bursting with nutrients.

The curry in question is sort of a riff off of this recipe from 101cookbooks.com that uses green or yellow curry and lots of herbs. Instead of using pasta, which I  feel sometimes feels very heavy in soups, I used buckwheat soba noodles and added tons for veggies to round out the meal. It was definitely, as Heidi says, slurp-tastic! Enjoy.

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Tofu Red Curry Noodle Soup

Time: 25 minutes, Serves 4

4 ounces soba noodles

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced finely and rinsed

1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

1 14 oz can light coconut milk

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 1/2 cups lightly flavored vegetable broth

1/4 teaspoon salt

7 ounces tofu, cut into small cubes or pieces

1 cup greens (collards, beet, kale, chard, any will do), sliced thinly

2 tablespoons chives, minced

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, chopped just before using

pinch of crushed red chile peppers

4 lemon slices (for serving, optional)

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Drop in soba noodles and cook as per package directions. Drain and rinse to cool. Set aside. 

In pasta water pot, heat oil and fry leeks for two minutes. Add cauliflower to the pot and fry until the veggies take on some color, about five minutes. Turn the heat down and add coconut milk and curry paste, mashed the paste into the milk. Add the next four ingredients, bring the whole pot to a boil, turn down the heat, cover and let simmer for 8 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and the broth is very fragrant. Meanwhile, divide herbs, red pepper, noodles and lemon slices evenly among 4 bowls. Spoon broth over the noodle mixture and serve immediately.