Khao Soi
I've always LOVED Thai food, and I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful country at the end of 2023.
I started in the south, Phuket, and then worked my way up to the north. (By the way, Chiang Mai and Chaing Rai are VERY high on my “love most list” a list that j’ve never made but thing about often.
The northern part of Thailand is very mountainous, filled with coffee & tea plantations. And even its own Northern Thai dishes - my favorite being Khao Soi.
it’s a type of noodle soup, with its base a red curry and lots of coconut milk. Typically served with cooked egg noodles soaking in the soup and crispy/fried egg noodles that lay on top and slowly get softer (if they last that long). There’s some sort of chicken maybe a leg or a breast in there too! (Sub tofu for my veggie folks, but be aware there is usually fish sauce in there!) On top of the dish there's usually pickled cabbage, limes and red onion - see pics below reference!
I come on here to offer a small piece of advice, next time you’re at a Thai restaurant and they have Khao Soi - order it. It’s flavorful, filling, unique and I crave it frequently….
While i’m here, and you are too! Here’s the recipe I got when I was in Thailand. I went to a small cooking class to learn how to make this dish!
- Sliced Chicken Breast
100 grams *For vegetarian or vegan - Tofu
- Red Curry Paste
1 tbsp. (more or less for spiciness)
- Curry Powder
1 tsp.
- Coconut Cream
1 cup
- Water
1 cup
- Fish Sauce
1 tbsp.
- Palm Sugar
1-2 tsp. OR Sugar 1-2 tsp.
- Cooking Oil
1 tbsp.
- Boiled Egg Noodle
100 grams
- Deep-fried Egg Noodle
50 grams (topping)
- Sliced Shallot
20 grams (optional)
- Pickled Cabbage
20 grams (optional)
- Lime
1 slice (optional)
Instructions:
Heat cooking oil in a wok on low heat, then add red curry paste, curry powder and ½ cup of coconut cream. Bring it to a simmer and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes, add chicken and stir vigorously until chicken is cooked.
Add fish sauce, sugar, the rest of coconut cream and water, then cook over medium heat until the curry is boiling. Keep the curry boiling on low heat around 3-4 minutes, then remove from heat.
Put boiled egg noodles into a bowl, pour curry over, top with crispy egg noodles, coriander and spring onion. Serve with shallots, pickled cabbage and lime.