South Indian–Inspired Coconut Rice Noodles with Tofu and Vegetables

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Total: 30 min
  • Active: 30 min
This one-pot dish takes inspiration from South Indian flavors (with some added influence from the Southeast Asian noodle dishes khao soi and laksa, for good measure), using garam masala to add depth and complexity without having to simmer the dish for hours. Skip the mass-market garam masala and spend a little more on a high-quality blend—or better yet, make your own. And feel free to swap out the vegetables with your favorites—eggplant, cabbage, and broccoli would all work well here.
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Ingredients

3 tablespoons neutral oil

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced  

3 cloves garlic, minced  

One 1-inch piece ginger, minced or cut into small slices  

1 teaspoon garam masala  

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 medium red bell pepper, diced  

1 medium green bell pepper, diced  

2 small carrots, cut into 1-inch-long sticks  

1 teaspoon kosher salt  

1 teaspoon soy sauce  

One 13.5- to 14-ounce can coconut milk  

1 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth  

One 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes  

4 ounces dried rice vermicelli  

Fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro, for garnish 

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and turmeric, letting the spices toast and coat the onions, ginger and garlic, for about a minute. Add the peppers, carrots, salt and soy sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are just starting to soften (don’t let them cook through, or you’ll end up with mushy veggies!), about 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Add the coconut milk and broth to the Dutch oven, turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, add the tofu; taste and adjust the salt, if necessary. Cover and let cook until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the vermicelli, making sure it gets submerged in the liquid—it’ll cook quickly!  
  3. Garnish with lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Let's Get Cooking!

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pixiehart

This dish turned out quite good. I used the veggies that I had which was Bok Choi and a Bell pepper. Also made the Garam marsala as suggested. Added a little fish sauce and some shrimp. Turned out delish! Would highly recommend trying this recipe. Good use of my new spice grinder that I got for Christmas.

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