Northern Thai Curry Noodles

Kâao-Sɔɔi ข้าวซอย 

Khao soi is a Burmese influenced dish served widely in northern Laos and northern Thailand. The name means "cut rice". Traditionally, the dough for the rice noodles is spread out on a cloth stretched over boiling water. After steaming the large sheet noodle is then rolled and cut with scissors. Lao khao soi is still made with the traditional noodles in some markets.

Northern Thai khao soi is a soup-like dish made with a mix of deep-fried crispy egg noodles and boiled egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, Thai shallots, lime, ground chillies fried in oil, and meat in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk. The curry is somewhat similar to that of yellow or massaman curry but of a thinner consistency. It is popular as a street dish eaten by Thai people in northern Thailand.

It is believed that the Thai version of khao soi was influenced by Chinese Muslim cuisine and was therefore was likely served with chicken or beef.

You can buy fresh red curry paste at many Thai fresh food markets (dtà~làat ตลาด) but failing that you can use ready made red curry paste. You can also be able to buy fresh or ready made Chilli Jam (nám-prík-pǎo น้ำพริกเผา).

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken curry:

1.5 kg chicken (gài ไก่), cut into large pieces

(or you could use 2 legs, 2 thighs and 2 breast pieces, about 1.5 kg altogether)

4-5 tbsp. red curry paste (gɛɛng pèt แกงเผ็ด)

3 tbsp chilli jam (nám-prík-pǎo น้ำพริกเผา)

2 tbsp. coconut oil (nám-man-má~práao  น้ำมันมะพร้าว)

3 cups coconut milk (nám-gà~tí

น้ำกะทิ)

1 tsp. curry powder (pǒng-gà~rìi ผงกะหรี่)

½ tsp. turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds (mét pàk-chii เม็ดผักชี)

1 brown (or black) cardamon (grà~waan กระวาน) crushed or ground (optional)

1-1 ½ cup(s) of chicken stock (náam-dtôm-gàI น้ำตไก่)

1 tablespoon palm sugar (nám-dtaan น้ำตาล)

fish sauce (nám-bplaa น้ำปลา) to taste

The remaining ingredients:

About 6-7 cups of Chinese bamee egg noodles (bà~mìi บะหมี่)

5 Thai shallots (hɔ̌ɔm-dɛɛng หอมแดง), thinly sliced

1 pack of Chinese pickled mustard greens (pàk-gàat-kǐiao dɔɔng ผักกาดเขียวดอง), rinsed and thinly sliced

3-4 cups peanut oil (nám-man tùua-lí-sǒng น้ำมันถั่วลิสง) for frying

3 limes (má~naao ะนาว), cut into slivers

6 medium dried chillies (prík-chíi-fáa พริกชี้ฟ้า)

a handful of coriander sprigs (bai pàk-chii ใบผักชี)

METHOD:

1. Place half the oil and red curry paste, curry powder, coriander seeds, cardamom, palm sugar and turmeric into a hot heavy bottom pan and cook, stirring vigorously, for a few minutes until the curry paste is fragrant. Make sure not to burn the paste.

2. Add 1 cup of coconut milk, stir in and let the pan come back to a boil. Boil for a few minutes over high heat, stirring often, until the oil separates from the coconut milk. Add the second cup of coconut milk, again wait until the oil separates.

3. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, with the 1 cup of stock and the rest of the coconut milk. Let the pan come back to boil, then lower the heat to simmer.

4. Add the fish sauce, starting with 2 tbsp. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Check the flavour balance, you may need to add more fish sauce. The flavour should be salty, spicy, and with a very slight after taste of sweetness. When you taste the soup at this stage, it should be a bit saltier than what you would like the final dish to taste like. If it is under-salted now, the addition of the other ingredients at serving time will make it even more insipid.

5. Take 1 cup of the noodles, fluff up until the strands are separated. Fry a little bit at a time in a pan with very hot oil until golden, you will need to flip to noodles once in the pan to get the same colour on both sides. Set aside

6. Then use the oil to fry up the dried chillis, very quickly, be careful not to let them burn. Set aside.

7. Slice the shallots, rinse and slice the mustard greens, cut up the limes, chop the coriander. Set aside.

8. After the chicken curry is done, heat up a large pot of water to a full boil. Rinse the rest of the fresh noodles first in cold water to wash out the excess starch, then cook in the very hot boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Stir the noodles well to prevent sticking.

9. Place some of the boiled noodles in the bottom of each bowl and scoop a chicken piece or two and the curry soup over the top. Top with a handful of fried noodles. Serve with shallots, mustard greens, lime slices, roast chilli, and a sprig or two of coriander.