Chile Bacon Basil Noodles
I have been working non stop on the tater tot book since it is due in a week or so. At lunch I like to get a quick break in and sometimes I walk down to Davis Sq and pick up some food. One day earlier this week instead I wanted to whip up a quick meal, so I looked through what I had on hand and came up with this tasty noodle dish. I really needed to use thai basil because there was a ton of flowers on my plants all of a sudden and they needed to be cut back a bit. I ended up using the flowers as well because they taste the same as the basil and are a really pretty garnish for the dish!
Nice little Thai basil flowers.

The Thai basil leaves are much smaller and sturdier than their Italian counterpart.

Pretty much everything I could find in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.

All the veggies go in the pan first with the bacon, then the garlic, ginger, and curry. The noodles and chile paste go in shortly after that, and finally the basil when it comes off the heat.

Plate and top with the flowers!

Some lime really helps brighten the dish. This has a nice spice to it but also is permeated with that familiar bacon savory and smokiness.

It was a great afternoon meal that came together quick and helped me clear my head for more tater tot writing magic!

Chile Bacon Basil Noodles
A clean out the fridge style noodle dish that turned out really good with bacon, basil, chile, and a little curry.
Servings: 2 servings
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bean thread noodles
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- 1/2 cup sliced bell pepper
- 1/4 cup sliced celery
- 1/2 cup diced bacon
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/4 cup sambol chile paste
- 25 leaves thai basil
- thai basil flowers
- limes
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and pour it over the bean noodles. Allow to sit about 10 minutes or so, depending on the brand of noodles, until tender. Strain and rinse.
- Saute the onion, carrot, celery, pepper and bacon in a pan with some oil until the bacon is getting browned and all the veggies are wilted, about 10 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, and curry. Stir and cook 2 minutes.
- Add in the chile paste and noodles, Stir well and cook, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the basil. Serve and top with the basil flowers and limes for squeezing.