Pasta with Red Curry Tuna

We have this dish called Kanom Jeen. It's an intricately cooked, smooth and creamy fish curry served over soft fresh rice noodle along side various vegetables like bean sprouts, fresh cabbage, pickled cabbage, string beans, cucumbers, morning glory vegetables and basil.

When I first served this to a friend, here was my disclaimer:

"This is kind of like the Thai dish called Kanom Jeen except that I used pasta instead of fresh rice noodle, canned tuna instead of fresh fish, red curry paste instead of Konom Jeen curry paste, frozen peas which do not exist in Thailand instead of all other vegetables."

Basically, it's nothing like the original dish. But heh... it tastes good and it's easy and convenient to make.



Ingredients - make about 4 servings

• 1 pound uncooked pasta - any long thin pasta will do


• 2 cans tuna in water


• 1 can coconut milk


• 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (also from a can)


• 1 cup frozen peas


• 1 cup basil - leaves picked


• Fish sauce to taste, salt to season pasta water, and some oil to keep cooked pasta from sticking together (I used lard.)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to the directions on its packaging. Strain and stir in about a tablespoon of oil to keep it from sticking together.


2. While the pasta is cooking, stir curry paste in coconut milk. Strain the tuna and add to the coconut milk in a large saucepan over medium heat . Break tuna chunks into tiny pieces. Add frozen peas. Season with fish sauce. Turn off the heat. Rib basil and add to the curry. Reserve a few basil leaves for plating.


3. Serve the curry over pasta with a few reserved basil on top.