Chili Bacon Basil Noodles
Smokey bacon is not what you often expect in a Thai inspired dish, but it is exactly what you get in this chili bacon basil noodle bowl! Spicy chili paste permeates every bite. It balances so well with the bacon and basil for a unique noodle eating experience! I casually whipped up this dish for lunch one day. It ended up being so good I had to make it again and take some photos!
The inspiration for this recipe
I have been working non stop on the tater tot bookย since it is due in a week or so. At lunch I like to get a quick break inย and sometimes I walk down to Davis Sq and pick up some food. ย One day earlier this week I wantedย to whip up a quick meal instead. I looked through what I had on hand and came up with this tasty noodle dish. It was important 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. ย I ended up using the flowers as well because they taste the same as the basil and are a really pretty garnish for the bacon chili noodles!
Prep the basil
Sep one is to separate the flowers and the leaves. If you bought your basil at the store and do not have flowers, this dish will be just as good. You could also use any type of basil you want. I had a lot of Thai basil so that is what I used.
Nice little Thai basil flowers. The leaves are much smaller and sturdier than their Italian counterpart.
Prep the chili, bacon, and noodles
Soak and rinse the noodles, chop the bacon, get the chili paste ready, and chop all the veggies. Once you start cooking, things move fast, so it is good to have everything ready. This was pretty much everything I could find in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
Cook the chili basil bacon noodles
All the veggies go in the pan first with the bacon, then the garlic, ginger, and curry. ย The noodles and chile paste go in shortly after that, and finally the basil when it comes off the heat.
Serve the chili bacon basil noodles
Plate and top with the flowers!
Some lime really helps brighten the chili basil bacon noodles. This has a nice spice to it but also infused 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!
Twists on this dish
This is very loosely inspired by singapore street noodles, so if you want to make a more true to form version of those, check out this recipe.
As I mentioned, it was a very “clean out the fridge” type of dish, so make it with whatever you have in your fridge!
If you want more fun noodle dishes, check out my peach and pork belly glass noodles, spicy basil shrimp noodles, or cheeseburger dan dan noodles!
Chile Bacon Basil Noodles
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 chili 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 with cold water using your hand to get the water in between all the noodles.
- 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.