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We love these 20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles on the busiest of nights. Homemade basil garlic oil with Thai red curry and frizzled scallions. All tossed with quick-cooking (and delicious) ramen noodles and ready in just about 20 minutes. Not only is this a healthy (vegan) noodle bowl, this dish is delicious for nights you’re craving saucy noodles, but need them to be homemade – and quick.
Lately, my family has been requesting a lot of chicken fried rice or quick stir-fries with a Thai-style sauce. Anything with a little soy and a touch of heat is their favorite. I don’t mind because most of these dishes are pretty quick. But after making chicken fried rice for the third time in one week, I needed a change of pace.
Since they were still looking for something saucy and soy-based, I went the noodle route. Ever since I made chili oil noodles a few weeks ago, I’ve been into making noodles with an oil-based sauce.
They’re so easy to do, and always so delicious.
The garlic chili oil noodles recipe I’m sharing today are truly so super simple, but wow, the flavor is so delicious. I really wanted to incorporate some Thai basil flavors and use up all the fresh Thai basil I had in the fridge.
Thai red curry paste with Thai basil and a few dashes of tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) is one of my favorite combinations. So I thought, “why not toss that up with some noodles?”.
These ended up coming together in just minutes and they really are so delicious.
The details
The oil is the heart of this recipe. The noodles are, of course, important, but it’s really the oil that adds all the flavor. You’ll want to start out by warming together the sesame oil and green onions (or scallions, or shallots…what do you call them ??♀️) on the stovetop. Warm until the green onions are super fragrant and frizzled up.
Basically, you’re frying the onions in the oil, which creates a really wonderful flavor. Once the onions are frizzled up, stir in the Thai red curry paste. Allow the curry paste to cook a minute or so to really intensify the flavors.
At this point, I start adding the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes to a bowl big enough to toss the noodles in. Then add lots of fresh Thai basil as garnish. If your grocery store doesn’t carry Thai basil, regular Italian basil works too.
When the oil is ready, pour it over the garlic and basil. The heat from the oil will cook the garlic and you’ll immediately smell all the fresh basil.
The rest is simple. Boil the noodles according to package instructions. I love using Brown Rice Ramen (which you can find at Whole Foods and in many grocery stores). These taste just like real deal ramen noodles, but they’re much healthier, gluten-free, and vegan.
Toss the noodles with the oil and a bit of tamari, then serve them up warm!
These saucy noodles are currently the go-to favorite. You can even include chicken for added protein. Sautéed vegetables and a fried egg would be delicious additions too!
Looking for other fun noodle recipes? Here are some favorites:
Crispy Sesame Garlic Chili Oil Noodles
Stir Fried Honey Ginger Sesame Noodles
Creamy Thai Turmeric Chicken and Noodles
Lastly, if you make these 20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
20 Minute Red Curry Basil Garlic Oil Noodles
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 376 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sesame or peanut oil
- 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
- 1-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 3-4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai or regular basil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 squares brown rice ramen noodles, or 6 ounces rice noodles
- 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
Instructions
- 1. In a skillet, cook the sesame oil and green onions over medium heat until very fragrant, 3-5 minutes. Lower the heat, stir in the red curry paste, cook 2 minutes.2. in a large bowl, mix the garlic, ginger, basil, cilantro, and season with chili flakes. Pour the hot oil over the herbs.3. Cook the noodles according to package directions, then drain. Toss the warm noodles and tamari/soy sauce with the oil.4. Serve the noodles with additional green onions.
This post was originally published on March 9, 2022
Perfect Friday night dinner!! I added edamame, carrots, mushrooms & shrimp!! Teenager + toddler approved!! Thank you!!
Hey Jess,
Happy Monday! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe turned out well for you!
Thanks for making it and your comment:)
I like this a lot! I didn’t use as much oil and reduced the soy sauce a bit for our preference. Easy and comes together quickly!
Hi Kerry,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it was a hit!☀️
Is this dish spicy? Want to try it for my kids. Thanks
Hi there,
Yes, it is. You could reduce the red curry paste and omit the crushed red pepper flakes. I hope this helps! xx
I’m not sure if I did something wrong, but this was so salty! I tried to eat it because I liked the blend of flavors and the spice, but it was truly inedible. I had to stop eating it and rinse my mouth out with water. Yikes!
Hi Megan,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was so salty! Next time, I would recommend using low sodium soy sauce, that should help! xx
I’m afraid this one really didn’t work for me. A lot of flavour, technically, but none of it came together in a positive way.
Hi Anne,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
Loved this, will be adding to my collection of recipes.
Thanks so much, Kashia! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Happy Friday! xx
Wow! This was awesome for lunch!
Thank you so much, AnnMarie! So glad to hear this dish was a winner, I appreciate you making it! xx
Any suggestions for alternatives to sesame or peanut oil? I have a daughter who is allergic!
Hi there,
Any other oil that she can use like avocado oil, is just fine to use. I hope you love this recipe! xT
This is the second time I’ve made this and it’s so tasty! Cooked up some chicken to have with it as well.
Hey Julia,
Fantastic! Love to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thank you so very much for trying it! xT
Love this! Make it several times a month. We do prefer the regular basil as the Thai basil is too strong for our tasting. Super quick and easy but satisfying!
Hey Karen,
Awesome! So glad to hear this dish is always a hit, thanks a lot for making it so often! xx
I added a tiny bit of Kewpie mayonnaise to this before tossing it all together. (I recently saw some recipe using mayo in a non-traditional way on noodles.) Delish.
Hey Rachel,
Amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was enjoyed! xT