one order of spaghetti green curry 💚
sharing a recipe + curried reflections for substack's "curry night"
Welcome back to the scone archives for a special edition ! fully written ! all access ! recipe + requisite culinary-centric memoirs, this time of the Thai-Italian curry persuasion. Rest assured that posts will return to the 2x-month regularity in February. <3
You know that one recipe that you’ve been meaning to try? Or, gosh, that amazing meal you had while out you’ve wanted to recreate in your own kitchen? The intention is there. It may take weeks, months, years?! It may never happen?! One fateful day, it could! It did! You remembered that oddball vital ingredient that kept pushing this brilliant dinner-time notion to the side. You did it. You made the dish!
I had one that meandered on my own to-make list for over half a year now. I got there! Today!
And it was so relevant to my settings and ingredients. Oops. I was saving it for later, so to speak. For months. It was no recipe from a reel or cookbook find. ‘Cause, my three decades of cookbooks are officially living in a storage unit in Montana. I assume. That’s (still) a story for another day.
So. What am I getting at? I was invited to the ‘Substack Curry Night’ gathering by fellow food writing/’scrappers + curry devotees Annada of ChutneyLovers and Lisa of the Culinary Repertoire. How could I resist? I love curries. Today’s missive + finally-happened recipe is my ineluctable contribution.
Curry was a form of therapy for me last year, coming to SE Asia in late 2024 after uh, some big life shake-ups.
It held my attention, when little else could.
For a while there, my days were sweaty, bicycling blurs. My nights were teary.
The next Thai Khao Soi was full of hope, cope, and stirred the personal catharsis, underway.
Your order is almost ready.
I dug into an intriguing order of Green Curry Spaghetti back in May. Spoiler alert. You read the title. It was take-away from Talalak’s vegetarian Thai food stall, via an “upscale” mall’s gourmet, lower level food hall, no less. This was my first taste of Thai curry - in THAILAND ! - in 3 strange months. It brought my then-diminished appetite back to life.
Eating these vibrant green curry noodles was an instantaneous time warp.
This meal carried me back + forth to so many hypnotizing curries that had come before. What could come after.
Other tastes came flooding back:
Curry Shack up in Pai, KATI on SE Division, the (old) Khun Churn buffet / Ming Kwan’s Khao Soi / In the Bowl in Seattle (RIP) / PP ARCADE on that island with the same letters / Chamlong’s by Chatuchak Market / that one rustic place on the corner with the older ladies / that other place on another corner with older ladies / Chalawan in Silom / surely, somewhere in Brooklyn over the years? / the Chiang Mai restaurant *in* Portland, OR / that first-to-me red curry a short walk from Davis Square / and into the present + future → those 2 visa runs + meals that made their mark in Bangkok / and right here, right now, writing this → thinking about Thai-Italian wonder → currently underway for lunch in my Hải Châu studio kitchen.
Points, made. Recipe time.
“Spaghetti Green Curry Sauce”
Makes 2 servings + easily doubled
When it comes to my dinnertime default, there will be noodles.
When it comes to matters of daily nutrition, there really should be some protein and vegetables.
And when it comes to cravings + sumptuous satisfaction, there could totally be curries and pasta. Cue this recreation of an intensely attention-grabbing & saucey green curry spaghetti I had the pleasure of meeting in Bangkok, circa May 2025.
This verdant, aromatic pasta dish is my home kitchen recreation and ode to the grand pairing of Thai-Italian fusion. I’ve taken the name direct from the Talalak’s menu - hence the inspiration, emulation - and the quotes in the title.
Twirl a fork or chopsticks into this creamy, piquant green curry-starring spaghetti stir-fry, and come up with herb-adorned meal-time goodness: seared mushrooms, squares of tofu, wilted baby bok choy, just tender-enough cauliflower florets and whatever other produce you had awaiting a hot wok appearance in the fridge.
Recipe Notes:
Wok not required. Use a cast iron, non-stick skillet or whichever pan you prefer for stir-fry action.
Ah. I still salt the water here. Old habits.
Tip: If the green curry paste is homemade or concentrated, legit Thai curry paste, less might be more. Howev - if it’s less flavorful or from a cup - consider adding more, to taste.
You don’t want a soupy spaghetti curry. The sauce will lightly coat the noodles & veg, and leave just a bit remaining in each bowl to finish with a spoon or tilt to the mouth. <3
Psst: Did you know that green curry is called such as green chiles are used? Gaeng = curry; Keow Wan = green.
If I had to choose two cuisines to cook & experience & order take-out from for the rest of my life, I have my decision ready: Italian and Thai. The first is the culinary construction of (most of…) my heritage. Both countries/cultures/menus include the types meals I tend to cook, the dishes I daydream about, and the second one, well, it’s the food that shook me on another continent when my life shifted.
Both realms appreciate garlic, varying degrees of chiles, an emphasis on acidity, a passion for fresh herbs, and a lifestyle that calls for bowls and plates of noodles on the regular. I seriously love getting to know regional food history + flavors in both of these complex country’s culinary histories, mainstays and developing trends.
What’s the dish burning hot on *Your* to-make list?!
For those new here…
hi. I’m jess. Listen closely. I didn’t plan to move to SE Asia, and yet, here I am. Combine a sudden marriage-ending shock + sudden move + giant suitcase + one way ticket to Thailand + one year & career change later, I’m building a new life in central Vietnam.
Read more about my prior years + from-scratch, rather obsessive culinary endeavors in Alaska, Wyoming, Portland, New York, and now SE Asia, on the archives of these scone archives. : )
REFERENCES + RELEVANT LINKS:
Curry Evening central: ChutneyLovers + the Culinary Repertoire
Healthy Boy brand of Thai sauces, Thai Food Direct [I’m simply showing this as a reference for their sauce line]
The Ultimate Guide to Cooking with Lime Leaves, Flavor 365 january 7, 2026
Recipe references that helped me check my measurements:
Coconut Red Thai Curry Noodles with Vegetables, She Likes Food january 23, 2023
Thai Green Beef Curry with Eggplant, Cooking with Nart july 27, 2021
Thai Red Curry Noodles Recipe, Bangkok Bowl june 27, 2025
Some prior missives + life that led to this happening in my kitchen:
curry stain chronicles, scone-land january 30, 2025
dinner diary bangkok, sconezzz december 27, 2025
let’s go to the mall for green curry spaghetti, these scone archives may 22, 2025
trust me, the curry sauce is now at the bottom of the pan ! / cityside rooftop / january 12, 2026
Love this Jess, thank you.
Jess, this looks delicious and made with so much love! Good food is the best thing ever. ❤️