Khao Soi - Thai Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken

My Khao Soi Travels

The very first meal I had during Asia travels was a delicious bowl of Khao Soi Gai. After 30+ hours of airplane travel, I arrived at my hostel in Chiang Mai, two hours too early to check into my room. My options then were to either wait in main lobby area, or to power through the exhaustion and go adventure. As delirious as I was, I chose the latter. Thanks to google, I found a well known khao soi shop a mile away from my accommodation.

After 35 minutes of walking and exploring temples, I arrived at the shop. I placed an order for my bowl, then sat down at a table adjacent to one that had a pigeon perched on top of it. Trying my best to ignore all of the things I’ve learned in my Food Safety and Handling courses, I waited patiently for my bowl of noodles in 90 degree weather.

When the restaurant owner set the bowl of curry noodles with chicken down, I admittedly thought the meal looked extremely underwhelming. But boy, was I wrong. The first bite was ridiculously delicious. The egg noodle, coated in spicy Thai curry, was perfectly soft and chewy. Topped with deep fried noodles and pickled mustard greens, the bowl was balanced with a delicious crunch in every bite. The curry was so spicy that it made me forget that I was sitting in 90 degree weather. This bowl of noodles was so damn good. At this moment, I thought to myself: if all my meals in Thailand are this good.. I’m going to need to shop for some looser fitting clothes.

Its been six months since returning home from my Asia. Along with other amazing experiences, this is one of the first memories that pop into my mind when I think about my time abroad.

Recipe

When I decided to recreate this recipe, I honestly thought it was going to be way more difficult than it actually is. I used pre-made curry paste in this recipe, which cuts down the work by almost half!  

If you make double the recipe for the fried noodles, they can keep fresh in an airtight container for weeks. Having the fried noodles prepped ahead of time will make allow you to quickly re-create this dish in 30 minutes. 

Ingredients

Curry Soup Base

• 14 oz coconut milk ( 1 can) -  The brand that I gravitate towards is AROY-D. It's super creamy when used in cooking. You can find it in almost any asian market, but if you don't have access to this brand, any coconut milk will do. Make sure to use coconut MILK, not coconut CREAM.
• 4 oz red curry paste (1 can) - Using curry pastes allows me to make quick and easy meals during the week. The brand that I really enjoy is Maesri.
• 2 tbsp madras curry powder (optional) - Adding this to the curry paste gives the broth an extra *oomph* of curry flavor. The madras curry powder I use is the "Kim Tu Thap" brand. The ingredients in this curry blend is: Curry, Turmeric, Chili, Coriander, Cumin Seeds, Cinnamon, Cloves, Bay Leaves, Allspice and Salt
• 5 ¼ cups of water
• 1 lb chicken drumsticks - The bone-in drumstick will add depth to the broth after simmering. This is essentially like adding your own chicken broth to the soup base.
• 4 tbsp soy sauce - Any regular type of soy sauce will do. If you ask asian chefs what type of soy sauce brand they tend to reach for, 99% of the time they will answer with the Maggi seasoning sauce or the Golden Mountain brand.
• 2 tbsp sugar - Palm sugar is widely used in Thailand. If you don't have access to palm sugar, or choose not to use it for environmental reasons, simple white granulated sugar will do. 

Noodles

• wide egg noodles
• water

Fried Noodles for Topping

• neutral oil
• egg noodles

Other Toppings

• shallots
• pickled mustard greens
• lime
• sautéed chili

Directions

Notes*

• This recipe is spicy! To tone down the spice, you can add more water or coconut milk to the soup. 

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Khao Soi - Thai Chicken Curry Noodle Soup

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Thai

Keyword: Curry Noodles, Egg Noodle, Khao Soi, Thai Curry

Ingredients

Curry Soup Base

• 14 oz coconut milk ( 1 can)
• red curry paste
• curry powder
• water
• chicken drumsticks
• soy sauce
• sugar

Noodles

• egg noodles
• water

Fried Noodles for Topping

• neutral oil
• egg noodles

Toppings

• shallots
• pickled mustard greens
• lime
• sauteed chili

Instructions

Curry Soup Base

• Heat up oil in the pot using medium heat. When the contents are hot, add the curry paste. Sautée the curry paste for bout 30 seconds to 1 minute for the aromas to release.
• Add 2 tbsp of coconut milk and the all of curry powder to the pot. Continue sautéing for another minute.
• Add the chicken drumsticks to the pot and mix it around. Allow the curry paste to completely coat the drumsticks. After about 3 minutes, add the rest of the coconut milk, water, soy sauce, and sugar to the pot.
• Bring the pot to a boil and then let it simmer for 40 minutes.

Fried Noodles Topping

• In a separate pot, add the neutral vegetable oil and allow it to heat up to 350 degrees.
• While the oil is heating up, remove the noodles from the package and lightly massage the bundles to separate the noodles.
• When the oil is at 350, add the noodles to the oil and allow it to fry. This is a really quick process. After 15 seconds, use tongs or chopstick to flip the noodles over and fry on the other side. After a total of 30 seconds, remove the noodle and allow it to rest on a plate lined with paper towels. Set these noodles aside for when you're ready to prepare the bowls.

Boiled Noodles

• In a separate pot, add 7 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, add the noodles and stir around for about 90 seconds. Once complete, drain the noodles and divide into bowls.

Assembling the Bowls

• Start with the boiled noodles as the base.
• Ladle the curry soup into the bowl, making sure each bowl gets at least 1 drumstick.
• Top with pickled mustard, shallots, sauteed chili, and lime squeezed on top.* Add the fried noodles to the top last to ensure maximum crunch.
• Serve immediately!

Notes

• This recipe is spicy! To tone down the spice, you can add more water or coconut milk to the soup. 
• If you make double the recipe for the fried noodles, they can keep fresh in an airtight container for weeks. Having the fried noodles prepped ahead of time will make allow you to quickly re-create this dish in 30 minutes.