Rita’s Northern Thai Khao Soi Recipe (Spicy Thai Coconut Curry Noodles)

When I visited Chiangmai with my friend, her Thai friends recommended that we try the local street food khao soi, egg noodles in a coconut chicken curry broth. The Burmese-influenced dish was spicy, coconutty and packed with flavor from all the different herbs and spices. Unfortunately, if you live outside of Thailand, you will have a hard time looking for khao soi in your local Thai restaurant.

Fortunately, my friend Maria knows someone who is an awesome cook! Rita is originally from Chiangmai but now lives in California and makes khao soi regularly. I tested her khao soi recipe and found that it tastes way better than the street version because the broth is much richer and the flavors are more intense. The ingredient list may be long but the steps are actually quite simple. Happy cooking!

Rita’s Khao Soi Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 9 whole dried Thai bird’s eye chili, more or less to taste
• 5 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 5 whole small shallots, peeled and split into quarters
• 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 4 inches only, roughly chopped
• 3 whole lime leaves
• 1 (1-inch) knob fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 thin slices of peeled ginger
• 1 small bunch cilantro stalks, cut from the very base of the stalks (leaves and thin stems reserved for another use)
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
• 6 pods Thai black cardamom, inner seeds only
• Salt to taste
• 1 ½ Tablespoons Thai shrimp paste
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles, divided
• 2 (14 oz) cans coconut milk
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons palm sugar or raw sugar
• 3 Tablespoons curry powder
• 4 chicken legs, split into drumsticks and thighs
• Fish sauce to taste
• Thinly sliced fresh shallots, lime wedges, and pickled Chinese mustard root for serving

You will be able to find most or all of the ingredients in any Asian supermarket. 

Method

Toast the spices

In the middle of a large piece of heavy duty aluminium foil, place the dried chilies, garlic, shallots, lemongrass, lime leaves, turmeric, ginger, cilantro stalks, and cardamom and coriander seeds. Fold over the edges of the aluminium foil to make a tight pouch. Using a metal tong, hover the pouch directly over the small flame of a gas burner and cook, turning occasionally, until aromatic and wisps of smoke begin to rise, about 5 – 8 minutes. If you don’t have a gas burner, you can also place the pouch at the bottom of a wok or skillet and heat over high heat for about 8 minutes until you can smell the aroma.

Pound the spices

When the ingredients are cooler, place them in a large mortar and pestle. Add a small pinch of salt and pound until you get a fine paste. Add shrimp paste and pound. Set the curry paste mixture aside.

Fry the spices & chicken

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large wok over medium high heat and add 4 tablespoons of creamy fat off the top of the coconut milk. Stir constantly for a few minutes until the coconut milk breaks. Add the curry paste, curry powder and sugar into the wok. Stir fry for about 1 minute until the mixture is aromatic. Add the chicken legs and keep stirring for about 3 minutes.

Add the broth & coconut milk

Slowly add the chicken stock and the rest of the coconut milk and lower the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer until chicken is tender and broth is very flavorful, about 30 to 45 minutes. Taste and add a little bit of fish sauce to round up the flavor.

Prepare the noodles

Separate out ¼ of the noodles to make a crispy fried-noodle topping and set the remaining noodles aside. Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until simmering. Working in batches, add noodles to oil and fry, stirring and flipping until they turn golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the remaining uncooked noodles and cook about 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and divide them into bowls. Top noodles with chicken, sliced shallots, lime wedges, pickled Chinese mustard root and ladle the broth over it. Then add the crispy noodles on top and serve immediately.