If you have visited Thailand before you might have heard of Khao Soi or if you have never been to Thailand, I believe that the name Khao Soi would also be familiar to you too, since this is one of the most famous Northern dishes and maybe one of the most famous Thai dishes. This is a egg noodle dish served in golden creamy curry soup with lots of topping. This is commonly found in the northern of Thailand especially Chiang Mai, or Chiang Rai.
Origin of Khao Soi
Khao Soi is believed to originate during Lanna Kingdom period, once ruled Northern Thailand, parts of Laos, and Myanmar. Its name means “cut rice” which refers to how they used to cut the noodle by hand at that time. Throughout the time the dish has evolved and adapt through trade and migration, especially from Burma (Myanmar) and Yunnan (China). Then come Muslim trader who brought spice to Thailand, with the mix of noodle from China, spice from Muslim trader, and coconut milk from Thailand, created the creamy spicy broth noodle dish we know today. Today, we can say that Khao soi is Chiang Mai’s signature dish.
The thing that makes Khao soi stands out from other noodles in Thailand is that the dish is served with 2 different types of noodles boiled and crispy noodles. And the broth is very thick and creamy unlike any type of noodles, and each serving comes with different condiments from normal noodles like Pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime wedges, and chili oil.
Key Ingredients
- Fresh egg noodles
- Coconut milk
- Red curry paste
- Chicken or beef
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Curry powder
- Turmeric
- Cardamom
- Fish sauce
- Sugar
- Lime juice
- Fried crispy noodles (for topping)
How to make Khao soi
- Prepare your curry base, heat coconut milk until it separates. Stir in red curry paste and turmeric until it starts giving a nice smell.
- Now add your protein, stir until it’s coated with the paste. Then pour the remaining coconut milk in and simmer, wait until the protein is tender.
- Season your broth by adding fish sauce and curry powder. After a while your broth should be aromatic, a little spicy, and creamy.
- Boil the noodles until it’s soft and drained, separate a small portion of your noodle then deep fry that portion until golden and crispy for topping.
- Now we place our noodles in a bowl and add the broth and protein, then top with crispy noodles. Served with lime, shallots, pickled mustard greens, and chili oil.
Since this is the famous Northern dish it’s easier to find in the northern of Thailand, but you can still find Khao soi in city like Bangkok. Keep in mind it might taste a little bit lighter or different since it’s adjusted for non-northern to try. There are fewer street stalls that sell Khao soi in other regions rather than northern. If you can find Khao soi shop I recommend you try it, its aroma and taste is unlike anything you have tried before and I can assure you, you will love it.