Noooooooodles.

I’ve been craving them for WEEKS. And the GS and I did some research on getting pho delivered but somehow could not find anywhere in Baltimore for this. We read about one place that initially seemed promising, but all it takes is one review that says the tofu had black mold on it to make you stay away forever.

We ultimately settled for ramen at a local Asian fusion place. It was good, not great. Didn’t scratch that noodle itch. So I took matters into my own hands.

I made easy at home pho once, and this is a version of that. Basically doctoring a broth with other flavors and throwing a bunch of toppings in a bowl. I was inspired by this post, but my version is even more simplified.

Thai Red Curry Hot Pot

2 boxes of stock (I used chicken, but beef or veggie would be fine)

1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 heaping tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 lb shrimp (or other seafood)

2 cups bean sprouts

4-5 shallots, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

In a large pot, heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook on low for about 10 minutes. Add the ground ginger and the Thai red curry paste.

Stir to combine, then pour in the stock.

Let it simmer on low for at least 30-40 minutes. I did this ahead of time and then just reheated it when we were ready to eat. But you could just let it simmer simmer away if you want to make your kitchen smell nice and spicy.

When you’re ready to eat, just cook your noodles. I got brown rice noodles and they were excellent but you can use any noodles you like- vermicelli, ramen, etc.

Place the noodles in the bottom of a bowl, and then spoon some broth over it. Add your RAW shrimp, and spoon more broth over. The broth should be very hot because it needs to cook the shrimp- not boiling on the stove but definitely a simmer.

Top with bean sprouts, scallions, and jalapeno. You could also add other kinds of veggies here and herbs- go crazy! I just kept it really simple with my favorites.

This would be really fun for a party- you could have tofu, thinly sliced beef, shrimp, etc. and then all different toppings and people could assemble their own.

I obviously didn’t do that. The GS and I ate all of it and split a bottle of wine. That’s another option.