Noodles with Fish Curry | Khanom Jeen Nam Ya | ขนมจีนน้ำยา

This recipe calls for 1 cup of cooked white fish such as pomfret or tilapia. The fish can be cooked by any method that doesn't add additional strong flavor. I typically cook a filet of tilapia in the oven at 350F for 8 minutes, until cooked through but still tender and flakey.

If you are starting with fresh krachai, wash it thoroughly and scrape the skin off. This step is not necessary for frozen krachai. Cut the krachai into small pieces, then pound with a mortar and pestle until it's broken down completely.

Add the red curry paste to the mortar and pestle and pound together with the krachai until a smooth paste is formed again.

Heat 1/3 cup of coconut milk over medium heat until it starts to bubble and separate slightly. Add the curry-krachai paste and stir until it's soaked up all of the coconut milk.

Add the rest of the thinner coconut milk (2/3 cup) and water to the mixture, stir to incorporate, and then allow the curry to cook undisturbed for a few minutes.

While the curry sauce is cooking, pound your cooked fish in the mortar and pestle until it's broken down. Add this to the curry and cook for several minutes longer. Taste and then add fish sauce and sugar as needed.

This curry is best when served over khanom jeen noodles with several accompaniments, as follows:

Khanom Jeen Noodles: Since the real thing can be hard to find, I often substitute Japanese somen noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and allow to cook for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water, then form noodle spirals for serving.

Hard Boiled Egg: Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, then add your eggs and cook 7 to 8 minutes. Drain, cool in ice water and peel.

Blanched Vegetables: Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Quickly blanch vegetables such as green beans and bean sprouts before cooling them with cold water.

Lemon Basil: Wash and serve several sprigs of lemon basil with the dish.

Place the noodles, curry, and accompaniments in separate bowls on the table. Diners can transfer noodles to their plate, then top with curry and the accompaniments that they'd like. Mix everything together, or eat the vegetables / herbs between bites of the curry-covered noodles.