Instructions

1. Heat a large pot or dutch oven on the stove over medium heat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once it’s hot, sauté the onion and green peppers until translucent, about 4 minutes.
2. Add in the jalapeño, ginger, and garlic, cooking for an additional minute. Mix in red curry paste, turmeric, and salt.
3. Turn the heat to high and add in the coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, chicken stock, and chickpeas. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce mixture to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 2 hours, allowing the liquid to reduce by about half. This gives everything a really ridiculously good flavor, so make sure to cook it that long!
4. When you’re ready to serve the soup, chop the cilantro and basil and stir them into the soup. leaving a few leaves out to garnish on top later.
5. While the soup is cooking, make the crispy tofu. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.
6. In a large bowl, mix together cornstarch, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Toss in tofu, coating completely in cornstarch mixture.
7. Spread the tofu onto prepared pan, then place in the oven and allow to cook for 40 minutes, flipping the tofu over halfway through cooking.
8. To plate your soup, place a healthy serving of rice noodles into a soup bowl. Top with soup, then arrange tofu, basil, cilantro, jalapeño, pomegranate seeds, and lime all around the edge of the bowl. Serve!