Red Curry Coconut Sopa de Fideo with Shrimp (Thai × Mexican)

Method

1. Prep: halve the tomatoes and grate the cut sides on a box grater, keeping the pulp and discarding the skins. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger, devein the shrimp and pat them dry.

2. Heat the oil in a 18 cm pot on medium heat and toast the fideo for 3 min, stirring constantly, until golden. Lift the noodles onto a plate, leaving the oil in the pot.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1½ tbspFideo noodles (or thin pasta broken into 3 cm pieces) 80 g

   medium heat

3. Turn the same pot down to medium-low heat, add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 min, then add the red curry paste and fry for 1 more minute, until the oil turns red and it smells fragrant. Keep stirring so the paste doesn't burn.

   Add in this stepOnion, finely chopped ¼Garlic, finely chopped 1Ginger, finely chopped 10 gThai red curry paste 2 tsp

   medium-low heat

4. Add the grated tomato and cook on medium heat for 3 min until jammy, then add the stock, coconut milk, fish sauce and palm sugar and bring to a gentle simmer. Coconut milk can split if boiled hard, so keep it at a lively bubble, not a rolling boil.

   Add in this stepRipe tomatoes 200 gChicken stock 450 mlCoconut milk 200 mlFish sauce 2 tspPalm sugar (or brown sugar) ½ tsp

   medium heat

5. Return the toasted fideo and simmer on medium-low heat for 5 min until the noodles are almost tender, then add the shrimp for 2 min more. They are done when pink and curled into a C; any longer and they toughen.

   Add in this stepShrimp, peeled and deveined 160 g

   medium-low heat

6. Turn off the heat, squeeze in the lime juice and taste, adjusting with fish sauce. Ladle into bowls and pile on cilantro and scallions.

   Add in this stepLime ½Cilantro leaves 2 tbspScallions, sliced 1