Thai Khao Soi Recipe (Chiang Mai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
Authentic Thai khao soi recipe: Chiang Mai coconut curry noodle soup with tender chicken, egg noodles and a crispy noodle topping.
This Thai khao soi recipe brings you the famous curry noodle soup of Chiang Mai: soft egg noodles and fall-apart chicken in a rich, golden coconut curry broth, crowned with a tangle of crispy fried noodles. It is spicy, creamy, a little sour and deeply fragrant, and it is the dish most visitors to northern Thailand go home talking about.
Khao soi (ข้าวซอย) literally means "cut rice", a name that probably comes from an older style of noodle made by cutting sheets of rice dough. The version loved in Chiang Mai today grew out of the cooking of Chinese Muslim (Chin Haw) traders from Yunnan, who travelled the caravan routes through Myanmar and Laos, which is why many of the oldest khao soi shops in the city still serve beef or chicken rather than pork. It is closely related to Burmese ohn no khao swè and Laos has its own very different khao soi.
The flavour comes from the curry paste. Dried red chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger and turmeric are blended with toasted coriander seeds, black cardamom and a little curry powder, then fried in thick coconut cream until the oil separates and the paste smells sweet and toasty. Coconut milk and stock turn it into a silky broth, and fish sauce and palm sugar balance it. Squeezing in lime at the table and adding pickled mustard greens and raw shallot cuts through the richness.
Short on time? A good store-bought khao soi or red curry paste works; just add the curry powder and turmeric to the red paste. Chicken drumsticks or thighs stay juicy, but beef shin is classic too, simmered longer. Wide fresh egg noodles are best, though dried egg noodles are fine. Make it vegan with tofu, vegetable stock and soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
Serve each bowl with small dishes of lime wedges, sliced shallots, pickled mustard greens and roasted chilli oil so everyone can season their own soup. Some Thai iced tea on the side is the perfect match.
Watch how it is made on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/shorts/LxOsNFW3c6o
Watch how it is made
Ingredients
- 6 dried red chillies, soaked and seededSubstitute: 2 tsp chilli flakes
- 4 shallots, peeled
- 6 garlic cloves
- 20 g fresh ginger, sliced
- 1 tsp ground turmericSubstitute: 10 g fresh turmeric
- 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
- 1 black cardamom pod, seeds onlySubstitute: 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder
- 800 ml coconut milk (2 tins), unshaken
- 700 g chicken drumsticks or thighs, bone inSubstitute: beef shin, simmered 1 1/2 hours
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugarSubstitute: brown sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 500 g fresh egg noodles, dividedSubstitute: 350 g dried egg noodles
- 250 ml vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- 100 g pickled mustard greens, chopped
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced, to serve
- 2 tbsp roasted chilli oil, to serve
- 15 g fresh coriander, chopped
Method
- Blend the curry paste. Blitz the soaked chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, coriander seeds, cardamom seeds and curry powder with 2 tablespoons of water to a smooth paste.
- Fry the crispy noodles. Heat the oil in a small pan, fry 100 g of the noodles in small handfuls until golden and crisp, then drain on paper.
- Crack the coconut cream. Spoon the thick cream from the top of the coconut tins into a large pot and simmer until it bubbles and the oil starts to separate.
- Cook the paste. Stir in the curry paste and fry over medium heat, stirring often, until dark, fragrant and glossy with oil.
- Coat the chicken. Add the chicken and turn it in the paste for a few minutes until every piece is coated.
- Simmer the broth. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the stock, add the fish sauce, palm sugar and soy sauce, and simmer gently until the chicken is very tender.
- Season to taste. Taste the broth and adjust with more fish sauce for salt or sugar for balance. It should be rich, spicy and slightly sweet.
- Cook the noodles. Boil the remaining noodles until just tender, drain and divide between 4 deep bowls.
- Assemble and serve. Ladle the broth and a piece of chicken over the noodles, top with crispy noodles and coriander, and serve with lime, shallots, pickled mustard greens and chilli oil.
Do not rush frying the paste in the coconut cream: when the oil separates and the paste darkens, the broth gets its deep, toasty flavour. Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan for a minute before blending, and keep the crispy noodles separate until the last second so they stay crunchy. The broth tastes even better the next day, so you can make it ahead and just cook fresh noodles to serve.
Frequently asked questions
What is khao soi?
Khao soi is a coconut curry noodle soup from northern Thailand, especially Chiang Mai. It has egg noodles and chicken or beef in a rich curry broth, topped with crispy fried noodles.
What does khao soi mean?
Khao soi means cut rice in Thai, which probably refers to an older style of noodle cut from sheets of rice dough.
Is khao soi spicy?
It has a medium heat that you can adjust. Use fewer dried chillies in the paste and let people add roasted chilli oil at the table.
Can I use store-bought curry paste for khao soi?
Yes. Use a khao soi paste if you can find one, or red curry paste with 1 tablespoon of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of turmeric added.
What noodles are used in khao soi?
Flat fresh egg noodles are traditional, both boiled in the bowl and deep-fried for the crispy topping. Dried egg noodles work too.
What is the difference between khao soi and laksa?
Both are coconut curry noodle soups, but khao soi is northern Thai, with a curry-powder spiced paste and crispy noodles on top, while laksa is Malaysian and Singaporean and usually has shrimp paste and rice noodles.
