Recipe + pairing | Nicole Maguire's Coconut Red Curry Noodles

Nicole Maguire’s Simple Dinner Edit is all about delicious family recipes using everyday ingredients, and her much-anticipated debut cookbook is a mantra in keeping it simple. This speedy weeknight lifesaver is ready in 20 minutes - and a dish that comes together as quickly and easily as this means no time to um and ah over the pairing. Neither should you have to! Here’s the full recipe, plus our hot matches. 

Pairing tip: "Play this one straight down the line with thai curry and spice’s favourite sparring partner - good old zesty Clare Valley riesling. Chenin blanc, or the Austro-German wündergrapes gewürztraminer & grüner veltliner would also be delicious here too if you’re after something with a little more textural. And if you must do a red - don’t, opt for a plush rosé instead." - Nick

Try this with:

Pikes 'Traditionale' Riesling 2023

Pikes have been a household name since their days manufacturing beer and soft drinks, but have since captivated hearts with phenomenal wines true to the unique and famed terroir of the Clare Valley. This is a wine that commands a sensational moment, although the argument could be had that this wine is what makes those moments sensational. Lemon-lime pithiness, refreshing mineral core, and a humming note of white blossoms and jasmine sing a beautiful harmony. If you’re looking for the best riesling of Clare, notice us gently nudge this one your way.

Chenin Blanc 2022 – Black Market Deal #46868

If you don't have chenin blanc in your regular drinking repertoire then you're missing out. This is versatile, crowd-pleasing, and delicious. Bright, textural, complex, and brimming with fresh citrus. A precise, confident expression of Margaret River chenin.

Coconut red curry noodles

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

COOK TIME: 10 minutes

SERVES: 4

Whenever I make these delicious creamy coconut noodles, I find myself hovering over the pan taking one too many bites to taste test. They are SO good. Their deliciousness, paired with how simple they are to make, has them frequenting our meal plan at least once a fortnight. The addition of tomato paste may seem strange, but it creates an amazing depth of flavour and mellows out the spice from the red curry paste – perfect for my little eaters who are still adapting to spicy foods. You can customise the vegetables to suit your family’s tastes and swap out the mince for any other variety (both chicken mince or beef mince work really well). The noodles are customisable too – if egg noodles are all you have, throw those in, or just serve with rice. One thing I recommend is not skipping the lime at the end. That little pop of freshness is where it’s at!

Ingredients:

• 200 g thick rice noodles

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 500 g pork mince

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons red curry paste

• 400 ml can coconut milk

• 125 g green beans, trimmed, cut into 3–4 cm batons

• 1 red capsicum, cut into strips

• crushed peanuts, to serve

• 1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve

Method:

Cook the rice noodles until just softened (this will take 2–3 minutes). Drain. Rinse immediately with cold tap water, then drain again – the noodles will still be undercooked and firm but will finish cooking in the pan.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the pork mince and cook for 3–4 minutes until browned, breaking it up as you go. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the tomato paste and red curry paste to the pan and stir them through. Add the coconut milk and green beans and cook for 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Add the capsicum to the pan and cook for a further 1–2 minutes before stirring in the cooked noodles. Cook for a further 1–2 minutes or until just heated through. Serve the noodles topped with the crushed peanuts and a squeeze of lime juice.

Images and recipes extracted from The Simple Dinner Edit by Nicole Maguire - available now.