New recipe in the works

My daughter has gymnastics practice for two hours twice a week. I have PT for forty minutes a week. Both are about twenty five minutes away, and in the same relative area. So, when scheduling PT, we put it at the same time as gymnastics. While I am driving on my own, Cathy has yet to let me drive our daughter somewhere on my own, so Cathy comes along for the PT/gymnastics extravaganza. Given gymnastics is an hour and twenty minutes longer than PT, and given that all this occurs during our regular dinner time, Cathy and I have been going out to eat after PT is done.

Last week, we went to a local Thai restaurant. Whenever I go out for Thai, I always order drunken noodle tofu. While conveniently located, I've never thought this restaurant's drunken noodle tofu is all that good, but it is conveniently located. It had been a while since we had eaten there, and I hoped that perhaps their food had improved. Unfortunately, while not bad, the food hadn't really improved. At the end of the dinner, I had leftover noodles, and I tried adding some of Cathy's red curry sauce to them. I was pleasantly surprised to find my noodles to be quite good with the curry sauce. Why isn't this a regular item on the menu?!? Well, maybe it is, and I'm not really looking for it because I always order drunken noodle tofu.

I decided to try making red curry noodles at home. I looked up a couple of recipes online, noted they were quite similar, picked one, and gave it a shot. Neither recipe included tofu, so I prepared and mixed in an onion powder and garlic salt tofu I make at home. I also added thinly sliced onions and yellow peppers. The result is shown above. It was good, but not amazing. Also, the quantity of noodles is at least double what it should be; the tofu, yellow peppers, and onions are getting lost. In my next iteration, I'll minimally half the sauce and noodles.

When Dalton was born, I blogged for six or so months on parenting and with recipes I was cooking at the time. I sort of want to include a recipe here, but I really don't have this one down yet. I cannot bring myself to put in the work of writing a full recipe for something that isn't close to the final product. With the advent of AI, I don't have to. I'll have ChatGPT do it for me.

Red curry noodles and tofu according to ChatGPT

ChatGPT produced the recipe below using my first prompt. I have to admit, its a really good first attempt. I'm going to annotate it with changes I would make as I go. My notes will be in quotation marks.

Ingredients:

• 200g rice noodles (or any noodles of your choice)
• 200g firm tofu, drained and cut into cubes

"I would double the amount of tofu, I would use extra-firm tofu, and I would press it before I started"

• 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
• 3 tbsp red curry paste (adjust according to spice preference)

"4 tbsp"

• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, julienned or thinly sliced

"no carrot"

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

"4 garlic cloves"

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

"I would omit the cilantro, and mix in a 1/4 cup of basil leaves cut into thin strips instead."

• Lime wedges, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Tofu:
   • Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
   • Add the tofu cubes and fry until golden brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Remove tofu from the pan and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

"I'd generously shake onion powder and garlic salt onto the tofu when I add it to the pan. I'd repeat the application of onion powder and garlic powder on the first flip. Try to get two sides of each cube golden brown. You're going to make yourself nuts trying to get all four sides golden brown. Once browned, I keep the tofu warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven."

1. Cook the Vegetables:
   • In the same pan, add a bit more oil if needed. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger. Sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.
   • Add the sliced onion, red bell pepper, and carrot. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are slightly softened.

"Once again, no carrot"

1. Make the Curry Sauce:
   • Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the red curry paste to the cleared space. Cook the curry paste for about 1 minute, stirring constantly to release its flavors.
   • Gradually pour in the coconut milk while stirring to incorporate the curry paste. Stir until smooth and well combined.
2. Simmer and Season:
   • Bring the coconut milk to a simmer. Add soy sauce and brown sugar (or maple syrup). Stir well to combine. Let the sauce simmer gently for 5-7 minutes to thicken slightly.
3. Cook the Noodles:
   • While the sauce is simmering, cook the rice noodles according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

"I would start the noodles earlier. Otherwise, you're likely to be waiting on them."

1. Combine and Serve:
   • Add the fried tofu cubes to the curry sauce, gently stirring to coat the tofu with the sauce. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes to heat the tofu through.
   • Add the cooked rice noodles to the pan, tossing gently with tongs or a fork to coat the noodles evenly with the sauce and vegetables.
   • Taste and adjust seasoning if needed with more soy sauce or sugar.
   • Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro leaves and lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the noodles.

"As described in the ingredients above, substitute basil leaf strips for the cilantro, and mix them in."

Enjoy your delicious Red Curry Noodles with Tofu! Adjust the spice level by varying the amount of red curry paste according to your preference.

"If it's not spicy enough, or if the leftovers lose their zip over a day or two, try fixing with Sriracha sauce to taste."