Khao Soi

Before You Start

Do not shake the coconut milk tin. You need the thick cream separately to crack the oil.

Fry the paste properly — four minutes, until it darkens and the kitchen smells of it.

The pickled mustard greens are essential. Their sourness is what balances the richness.

Cooking Khao Soi

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1. Fry the reserved 150 g of noodles in the hot oil in small nests for 60 seconds until golden and crisp. Drain on a rack.

   Mark done Start 60 sec timer

2. Open the coconut milk without shaking and spoon the thick cream from the top into a wok. Heat over medium-high until it bubbles, splits and the oil separates, about 5 minutes.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

3. Add the curry paste, curry powder and turmeric and fry in the separated oil for 4 minutes until deeply fragrant and darkened.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

4. Add the chicken and turn it in the paste for 4 minutes.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

5. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the stock, add the fish sauce and palm sugar, and bring to a simmer.

   Mark done

6. Simmer, partly covered, for 35 minutes until the chicken is tender and the broth is rich and orange with oil floating on top.

   Mark done Start 35 min timer

7. Taste and adjust: it should be salty, faintly sweet and rich, with the sourness coming from the lime at the table.

   Mark done

8. Boil the remaining noodles for 2 minutes, drain, and divide between deep bowls.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

9. Ladle the curry and chicken over, then top with a nest of crisp noodles, shallots, pickled greens, coriander and a lime wedge, with chilli oil alongside.

   Mark done

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After You've Cooked It

The curry keeps 3 days refrigerated and freezes 2 months. Cook noodles fresh and fry the crisp ones on the day.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chilli. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

What to Serve Alongside

• A cold Singha or Chang
• Extra lime and chilli at the table
• Sticky rice, in the northern style

What's in a Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.