Memories of the best khao soi – a slightly spicy dish of boiled and fried noodles, tender braised meat and a coconut-curry broth – take ELLE Gourmet food director Soo Kim right back to a humble café in Northern Thailand that specializes in this one dish. Inspired by that experience, this version is a quick solution for busy weeknights.
Easy Khao Soi
ELLE Gourmet's recipe for khao soi, a northern Thai coconut curry soup with noodles and braised meat.
Ingredients
Soup
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 inch piece ginger thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2½ tbsp Thai red curry paste see note #1
- 1 tbsp Madras curry powder
- 400 mL can Thai coconut milk
- 3¼ cups no-sodium chicken broth
- 3½ tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 4 portions Chinese egg noodles about 450 g (see note #2)
Toppings
- fried egg noodles optional (see note #3)
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 1 cup cilantro
- chili oil
Instructions
- Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in curry paste and curry powder; cook, stirring, until dark and aromatic, 2 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk, scraping bottom of pot; bring to a boil. Add chicken broth, fish sauce and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add chicken; bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove ginger and garlic; discard. Remove chicken and let cool for 5 minutes before shredding; return to pot.
- Taste soup and adjust with more fish sauce or sugar, keeping in mind that the flavour will be diluted with the addition of noodles.
- Meanwhile, boil egg noodles in large pot of boiling water for about 1 minute. Drain for 3 minutes without rinsing; divide among large, deep bowls. Top with soup, chicken, crispy egg noodles (if using) and a combination of shallot slices, lime wedges and cilantro. Serve with chili oil.
Notes
- We like Aroy-D Thai red curry paste for its authentic ingredient list.
- Look for the chewy Chinese egg noodles in the refrigerator of an Asian grocery store.
- For crispy egg noodles, heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a small pot over medium heat. Cut 1 cup of the egg noodles into 3-inch pieces and fry until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
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