I feel like a lot of my dinners lately have been one-dimensional in the color department. yellow curry, yellow pasta, yellow rice. Lots of yellow. Not in a sunshine-y way, in a blah way. Which is why I welcomed the sight of dinner on Sunday night because it was truly a feast for the eyes. Yes, it incorporated a lot of yellow, since the garnish was sliced yellow pepper and mango. But it also had beautiful cubes of pink salmon, lush green beans, and a sprig of coriander on top.
Not to mention the flavor, which was wonderful. This is a really beautiful dish, both in look and in taste.
Two things to keep in mind when cooking it: you need a perfectly ripe mango (which is why I cheated and bought some already chopped from the supermarket) and you need perfectly cooked rice noodles. Too little and they are crunchy (not in a good way). Too much and they dissolve in your mouth (again, not in a good way).
With all that said, I would certainly make this again, given a decent piece of salmon and some nice ripe mango!
Rice Noodles with Salmon and Mango
Based on a waitrose recipe - serves two
The particulars:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp medium curry paste
- 100ml vegetable stock
- ½ can half-fat coconut milk
- 2 bundles of thin rice noodles
- 100g green beans, trimmed and halved
- 1 red or yellow pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
- ½ ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cubed
- 2 salmon fillets, skinned and cubed
- Heat the oil in a wok. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, until golden. Stir in the curry paste and cook for a minute. Add the salmon cubes and sear for a couple of minutes. Then add the stock, coconut milk and seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Place the noodles in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes then drain.
- Add the noodles and beans to the coconut liquid and spoon into serving bowls. Arrange the pepper and mango on top. Garnish with coriander and serve.
Lesson learned: I like my green beans to be barely cooked, maintaining most of their crunch. If you like them a bit more "done", add them to the stock at the end of step 1.
