Thai Khao Soi

Ah, Chinese New Year trips to Thailand and warm, sunny beaches. I only wish that were true for me this year!  Instead I'll be here in the dreary, cold, polluted air. So thankful for my friend, Anita, who is guest posting one of my absolute favorite Thai dishes today! 

Our family has spent a lot of time in Thailand over the years since we began living overseas. It’s basically like a getaway and retreat for us. You could even go so far as to say it’s our second home! We love the weather, the culture, the wildlife, and the landscape. And of course, the food. One of our favorite Thai meals to eat is Khao Soi (or coconut curry noodle soup), which originates from northern Thailand. There’s a quaint guesthouse that we stayed at when our boys were born (on two separate occasions). The ladies in the kitchen learned that we loved it so much that they offered to teach me how to make it. Like any good Asian grandmother’s recipe, they didn’t measure out proportions and so I had to guess, eyeball, and quickly scribble down the recipe as they were making it. It was so much fun. It’s been nice to be able to take this recipe back home and make it in my own kitchen. I’ve since adapted the recipe according to our family’s tastes so here are some rough proportions for you to go on. I hope that as you make this you will consider channeling your inner Thai grandma and feel the freedom to adapt the amounts according to your tastes and what you have on hand. Have fun and enjoy!

Khao Soi (Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)

Yield: about 8 to 10 servings 

2  (400-ml) cans coconut milk

1 L  (about 4 cups) water

4 ½ Tbs curry powder

½ tsp Thai chili powder (or cayenne pepper), to taste

1 ½ tsp salt (to taste)*

1 to 2  Tbs chicken bouillon (to taste)*

2  Tbs sugar (to taste)

½ to 1 kg chicken breasts, thinly sliced into bite-size pieces (I usually use 4 chicken breasts)

~3 lbs fresh egg noodles 

Chili Sauce

Hot oil (for frying noodles)

Red pepper flakes, about 2 to 3 Tbs (plus roughly 1/2 to 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional)

Garnishes

Cilantro, minced

Green onion, minced

Limes (or lemons), cut into wedges

Sugar

Heat a Dutch oven on med heat; add about a ½ can of coconut milk.   Add curry powder, Thai chili powder (cayenne pepper), salt, and chicken bouillon.  Stir together until fragrant.  Add chicken pieces; cook until no longer pink, stirring frequently.  Add the rest of the coconut milk, water, and sugar.  (You could also do less coconut milk and more water.)  Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer until meat is tender. 

Heat oil in a wok on high heat (about 2-3 inches deep) until extremely hot; gather 3 handfuls (about half a pound) of the fresh noodles and deep-fry them in the wok, one bunch at a time, for about 3 minutes or just until slightly golden brown (flip them over about halfway through). (You can do a test noodle first to make sure it’s hot enough. Don’t let them get too dark brown or they will taste burnt even if they don’t look burnt.) Use a slotted spoon to ladle them out and drain on a plate covered with paper towels.

Put a few tablespoons of red pepper flakes in a heat-safe bowl (and sesame seeds too if you want).  Pour a small ladle of hot oil over top (the oil that you used from frying noodles - do this while the oil is still hot!). It will sizzle nicely. This will be your hot chili sauce.

Cook remaining fresh noodles in boiling water for about 2-3 minutes (they cook pretty fast!), then drain in a colander and rinse with cold water so they don’t stay clumped together in a massive heap.   

To serve, put soft noodles into bowls and ladle soup on top.  Add crunchy fried noodles, and garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion, a squeeze of lime, hot chili sauce, and sugar.  Enjoy!

*You can interchange salt for chicken bouillon or vice versa depending on your preference.