Author Notes
Queen of Siam is a variety of Thai Basil but any Thai basil will do. I think of this as street food in a way or comfort food, maybe Thai Spaghettios. A cup of this with Thai Fried Chicken or Satay would set you straight. You can also add just about any vegetables you want, most notably eggplant. Don't forgo the toasting of the orzo it would make it a different dish altogether. —thirschfeld
Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
-
1 tablespoon
vegetable oil
-
2
shallots, julienned
-
4
stalks of lemongrass, 4 inches long and tied in a not
-
1 cup
orzo pasta
-
2
garlic cloves, minced
-
2 to 4 teaspoons
red curry paste, add more if you want it hotter
-
2 tablespoons
fish sauce
-
2 cups
chicken stock
-
1/3 to 1/2 cups
unsweetened coconut milk
-
1 cup
Thai basil, larger leaves torn in half
-
1 cup
cherry tomatoes, halved or diced tomatoes
-
1/2 cup
green onion, sliced thin
-
limes as needed
Directions
-
Place a 1 1/2 quart sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the oil and when it begins to shimmer add the shallots.
-
Once they start to color add the orzo and cook it till it starts to become brown and toast. Add the garlic, curry paste and lemongrass. Stir a few times until fragrant and then add the fish sauce and the stock.
-
Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and add the coconut milk and cook it until the pasta is tender. If you need more liquid add it. The dish should not be dry but it shouldn't be to soupy either so adjust accordingly. Remove the lemongrass stalks.
-
Add half the green onions, tomatoes and basil. Stir and cook until the basil is wilted, about a minute. Serve immediately with limes for squeezing over the top and green onions for garnish.
See what other Food52ers are saying.