Warm curry paste in a pot, throw in some coconut milk, crunch up some ramen noodles, and you're five minutes away from a Thai curry noodle soup. Have leftover chicken or veggies? Chop and toss in. Slivers of green onion or chopped cilantro leaves will add color and great flavor to the soup.

Place a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and add the oil and curry pastes. Stir to combine and cook until fragrant, less than a minute. Add half of the coconut milk and stir until smooth. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the rest of the coconut milk and the water and bring to a simmer. Before opening the packages of ramen, crunch the noodles, breaking them into small pieces. Add the contents of 1 flavoring pack to the soup and stir to blend. Discard or save the other pack for another use. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 2 minutes, then stir in the lime juice. Now is when you would toss in any chicken or veggies and top with green onions or cilantro. Serve immediately.

Red, yellow, and even green curry paste is available in small jars and cans at supermarkets or Asian food stores. Red curry paste is made of ground red chiles, herbs, and spices and packs a punch. Use more tar less to please your taste buds. Keeps forever in the fridge.