Tanya Maher's Thai Curry Kelp Noodles

When my eBook Nourished – Comforting Raw Foods for Winter came out, it was this dish that inspired bloggers to claim that this recipe alone was worth the price of the entire book! Not only is the curry delicious, it is bursting with nutrients. Dry coconut comes with fibre, iron, protein and zinc – the ideal combo for healthy tissues, blood and bones and for gorgeous skin. Kelp noodles are well known for their high iodine content, which plays a key role in metabolism and thyroid function.

— Serves 4

For the curry sauce:
1 litre (1¾ pints) coconut milk
200g (7oz) cashew nuts, soaked for 4–6 hours
zest and juice of 2 limes
4 tbsp tamari
75g (2¾oz) pitted dates, soaked for 4–6 hours
2 garlic cloves
1½ green chillies
2.5cm (1in) root ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander

For the noodles:
340g (11¾oz) pack of kelp noodles
2 courgettes, spiralised

Optional extras:
Hearty Kale Salad (see p.63)
sugar snap peas, thinly sliced
baby corn, thinly sliced
parsley leaves
dried chilli flakes

Put the coconut milk into a blender, add the remaining curry sauce ingredients and blend on a high setting. Keep the motor running for 2–3 minutes if you would like to serve the sauce warm. Put the noodles and spiralised courgettes in a bowl. Add the curry sauce and stir it through. Leave the kelp and courgette noodles to sit in the sauce for at least 10 minutes to give them time to soften.

Serve the curry in bowls on a bed of kale salad. Sprinkle each serving with optional veggies for an authentically Thai dish, and with the parsley leaves and chilli flakes for added colour and flavour.

Extracted from The Uncook Book: The Essential Guide to a Raw Food Lifestyle. Photo: Charlie McKay