About this recipe
A Northern Thai coconut curry noodle soup topped with a tangle of crisp fried noodles, khao soi is associated with Chiang Mai and carries Shan, Burmese and Yunnanese-Muslim threads along old caravan routes. Cognate dishes exist in Laos and among Shan communities; those connections are logged for verification and presented as shared, not owned.
Recipe facts
- Yield
- 4
- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 35 minutes
- Total
- 60 minutes
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Spice
- Medium
Allergens Contains gluten (egg noodles), fish (fish sauce), shellfish (shrimp paste in the paste) and coconut; egg in the noodles.
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 1.25 lb (560 g) fresh egg noodles (reserve a handful to fry crisp)
- 1 can (13.5 oz / 400 ml) full-fat coconut milk, plus 2 cups (475 ml) more
- 3–4 tbsp (45–60 g) khao soi or red curry paste
- 1 tbsp (6 g) curry powder and 1 tsp (2 g) ground turmeric
- 1.5 lb (680 g) bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
- 1 tbsp (15 g) palm sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) dark soy sauce (for color)
To serve
- Pickled mustard greens, chopped; sliced shallots; lime wedges; chili oil or Nam Prik Pao (Condiments C02); cilantro
Equipment
- Large pot
- Small frying pan for crispy noodles
- Spider or slotted spoon
Method
- Simmer the thick coconut cream in the pot until it thickens; add the paste, curry powder and turmeric and fry until fragrant.
- Add the chicken and turn to coat; add the remaining coconut milk and enough water to cover.
- Simmer until the chicken is tender, 25–30 minutes. Season with fish sauce, palm sugar and dark soy.
- Meanwhile, fry the reserved noodles until crisp; blanch the fresh noodles just before serving.
- Divide the blanched noodles among bowls; ladle over the curry and chicken.
- Top with crispy noodles, and serve the pickled greens, shallots, lime and chili oil alongside for each diner to add.
Uses from this chapter
- Nam Prik Pao (Roasted Chili Paste) (Condiments — C02) — Used as, or alongside, the chili oil spooned in to taste; adds smoky heat.
- Pickled mustard greens ((Foundations — Pantry: Fermented Vegetables)) — A required tart, crunchy garnish; sourness balances the rich broth.
From the foundations
The book pairs this recipe with the following, from the sauces, sambals and pastes that open the collection.
The Complete Edition
Khao Soi sits in the Thailand chapter
The book carries this recipe in full alongside the rest of the Thailand chapter, the pastes and dips it is built on, and the twenty-seven pantry studies that open the collection.
In review with Amazon KDP
Both editions have been submitted to Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and are currently in review. Submitted prices are $9.99 for the kindle edition and $49.99 for the paperback. Neither is on sale yet, and prices are as submitted rather than final.