With the craziness going on around us, we all need a little escape. Allow me to bring you the cooking equivalent of the best escapist TV––this Chicken Khao Soi recipe. Straight from the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand!
Plus, with restaurants closing amidst local efforts to enforce social distancing (it’s all takeout and delivery only where Justin and I live), it’s kind of comforting to know that you can make this sort of dish at home––one you’d only normally get at a restaurant.
If you don’t necessarily have all the ingredients to make this particular noodle soup, you can also try our 15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, which is like a shortcut version with similar flavors (you just need some boxed stock or bouillon, coconut milk, red curry paste, and dried noodles). You could also try this more Malaysian-style Curry Mee recipe!
For more ideas on recipes you can make from what you may already have available at home, check out this recent roundup of our favorite pantry and freezer recipes!
What Is Khao Soi?
Khao soi is a coconut curry noodle soup hailing from Northern Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. It consists of noodles in a thick, rich coconut broth, and usually chicken or beef.
There are many variations, including how the broth is made, what the protein base is, the type of noodles used, and other more regional variations. Our version today is based on a Northern Thai rendition.
Some of the common threads across those versions are:
- A thick, rich broth: Khao soi is not a particularly “brothy” noodle soup. The “soup” part of the dish is more like a thick, soupy gravy, made very rich by the coconut milk.
- Crispy Noodles: Most versions are topped with crispy fried egg noodles, which give the dish crunch and that nutty, rich flavor you can only get from the deep fryer.
- Toppings: Khao soi is served with several toppings, usually including chopped cilantro, sliced shallots, pickled mustard greens/stems, nam prik pao (a Thai sweet/spicy chili sauce), and fresh lime.
Recipe Notes
Why The Two Pastes?
You may be wondering why I choose to make my own curry paste and then also add prepared red curry paste to my Khao Soi. While canned curry paste is delicious and full of flavor, I think it can definitely benefit from a little bit of brightening up with fresh ingredients. I think that the fresh and prepared curry pastes together make for a well-balanced flavor in the final broth.
What Kind of Pickled Mustard Greens?
While I’ve never actually been to Thailand myself, my research (videos like this Khao Soi tour of Chiang Mai were especially helpful) has led me to my recommendation to use pickled mustard stems for this Khao Soi. See the image below! You could also use pickled mustard greens, which are more leafy. They will impart a similar flavor.
Where Do I Get Crispy Noodles?
You may be able to buy crispy noodles already fried from your local Chinese grocery store, but we recommend frying them yourself! I used wide Chinese egg noodles for the soup (they’re labeled “thick wonton noodles”).
These noodles can also be fried until golden brown and served on top! Just heat a small pot of oil until it reaches about 350 degrees F, and put the fresh noodles directly into the oil. When they’ve turned golden brown and crisp, they’re done!
Khao Soi Recipe Instructions
Add all the curry paste ingredients to a food processor…
And pulse until you get a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and stir-fry the chicken until browned.
Remove from the pot and set aside. To the fat left in the pot, add the paste. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the canned Thai red curry paste, broth, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. When the broth is at a low simmer, add the coconut milk and fish sauce. Add the chicken back to the broth.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions.
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Cover with chicken and broth, and garnish with sliced shallots, lime wedges, pickled mustard greens, fried noodles, cilantro, and Thai chili paste.
Chicken Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
For the khao soi paste:
- 2 Thai bird's eye chilies
- 2 medium shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1-inch piece ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (stems and leaves, rinsed)
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste (Thai, filipino, or Chinese shrimp pastes will all work; can substitute laksa paste)
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or to taste)
- 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles (thick wonton noodles work well)
To garnish:
- thinly sliced shallots
- lime wedges
- pickled mustard stems/greens
- crispy noodles
- chopped cilantro
- Thai chili paste (Nam Prik Pao)
Instructions
- Add all the curry paste ingredients to a food processor and pulse until you get a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and stir-fry the chicken until browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. To the fat left in the pot, add the paste. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the canned Thai red curry paste, broth, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low. When the broth is at a low simmer, add the coconut milk and fish sauce. Add the chicken back to the broth.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Cover with chicken and broth, and garnish with sliced shallots, lime wedges, pickled mustard greens, fried noodles, cilantro, and Thai chili paste.
For someone with a mild shrimp allergy, would you recommend avoiding that addition to the homemade paste? If so, what would you recommend we substitute instead? Interestingly, when I learned to make this in Chang Mai, we did a yellow curry paste instead of red. Could that be for a different region?
Yes, you can definitely omit the shrimp paste due to the allergy, and you don’t necessarily have to substitute anything in its place—perhaps a little more of the curry paste? We definitely did a shortcut here by using the red curry paste in our recipe—most traditional recipes involve making the paste from scratch, so I imagine there’s some variation in the ingredients added!
This is not only one of the best meals I have cooked in the last few years, but it is one of the best things I have EATEN in the last few years. WOWZA! Thank you for the excellent new addition to the family recipe box!
you’re very welcome, Zib! Thank you so much for the high praise!
I just came back to this recipe after some years. The above is a really excellent coverage of Thai Khao Soy as made in Thailand. Khao Soy is a Chiang Mai dish modified from a traditional Burmese curry. In Chiang Mai eating Khao Soy at lunch time is a real local experience office workers flock to their favourite Khao Soy restaurant. They eat Khao Soy with many other dishes as accompaniments. It is a unique Thai experience. I wrote about this previously in https://breadtagsagas.com/food-in-chiang-mai-3-khao-soy/. Worth a look if you are making the recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Tony!
This was so delicious! I’ve tried a few different khao soi recipes and this one was the best!
Thank you so much, Alex!
Unbelievably good! I’ve made Khao Soi many times, different recipe. This one is amazing, from making a curry paste to the end…. I used well trimmed skinless, boneless chicken thighs and my own chicken broth. Did use a bit more red curry paste, we like it spicy. Also, for the crispy “noodle” garnish I used thinly sliced dumpling wrappers crisped up in some hot oil. Used the same pot to cook the Khao Soi in. Super easy, slurp-worthy! Love your website. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Wendy! So happy you enjoyed it!
Hi again, Sarah! The aroma of the curry paste as it cooked was phenomenal. This was one of the best soups I’ve ever had. Thank you!
This was my first time making a curry paste and I’ll never rely on jarred paste ever again!
You’re very welcome, Eve!
Hello Sarah. It looks like the Khao Soi paste isn’t too different from regular red curry paste. What is the purpose of also using the jarred stuff?
Sorry about that. I see you wrote about it in the text. <3 <3
No worries at all Eve! :)
Hi Eve, you could certainly use the red curry paste, but I would also add the shrimp paste or laksa paste that the recipe calls for, since red curry paste does not generally include shrimp paste.
Oh, I was always going to make your lovely homemade paste. The question was about why to also use the stuff in a jar from the store, but I see you mentioned that it’s just to add some additional flavours. I didn’t want to insult you by you thinking I thought your paste wasn’t worth making. I will leave you a nice review once I’ve made it. Thanks for the replies! <3
Ah ok, sorry for the misunderstanding, Eve! Not insulted at all. Hope you enjoy it!