Khao soi is this incredible curried coconut soup from Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. It’s not famous. Not on a lot of Thai menus. But it should be. Crazy tasty stuff.

Forget pad thai – Khao soi is the new king in town

There’s something special about this dish. It will make you wonder why pad thai was ever your favourite noodle dish.

The creaminess of the coconut milk against the curry flavours. Chewy noodles. The freshness of the lime. Deeply satisfying. Delicious.

Making authentic khao soi is serious business. Real work. Hard to get ingredients. Curry paste from scratch. That’s the best way.

This is the easy way. Fast. But still unbelievably good. A khao soi recipe for weeknight dinners. When you want something amazing for dinner on a Tuesday.

I’m an Asian noodle nut. There are Asian noodle recipes all over this blog. Pho. Mi bo kho. Four different ramen dishes. Pad thai. Bun cha. The list goes on.

This is one of my favourites. It hits all the Southeast Asian flavours. Hot, sweet, sour and salty. All in one dish. It just has everything going on.

Khao soi in a black bowl surrounded by garnishes - from above. - 1 Khao soi in a black bowl surrounded by garnishes - from above. - 2 Chicken Khao soi in a black bowl from the front. - 3

thai chicken khao soi

Ingredients

  • 1 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles - dried is OK too
  • 3 cloves garlic - crushed
  • 3 tbsp massaman curry paste - store bought
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 15 oz cans coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 3-4 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • shallots, chili oil, green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  • Let your cans of coconut milk stand to let the cream come to the top. If you don’t have time, it’s not the end of the world.
  • Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  • Combine garlic, massaman curry paste, curry powder and turmeric powder in a small bowl.
  • Heat oil in a wok or similar pan over medium heat. Add curry mixture and fry, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
  • Spoon off the coconut cream from each of the cans of coconut milk. Add that to the pan. Fry for another minute.
  • Add the chicken and brown sugar and cook until the chicken is just done through. This should take about 8-10 minutes.
  • Add the remaining coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Now add the fish sauce and lime juice and cook another minute of so. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add the noodles to the boiling water. Cook per the instructions on the package. Chinese egg noodles should take one to two minutes to cook through. If the instructions say longer consider cooking them when you add the chicken to the pan.
  • To serve, divide the noodles into four bowls. Spoon the chicken overtop and ladle the broth into the bowls. Garnish as you like with shallots, green onions, cilantro, chili oil and bean sprouts. Serve with additional lime wedges.

Notes

Nutrition

Korean beef bulgogi doesn’t have to be hard. Make a simple sauce. Slice some beef against the grain. Stir fry briefly. Add the sauce and finish cooking. Eat. Just as easy as that. Sometimes easy is just delicious.

If you’ve never heard of beef bulgogi it’s time to learn. This is one of Korea’s national dishes. It’s been around for a couple thousand years. It means “fire beef”.

Beef bulgogi can be grilled or stir fried

Traditionally it’s grilled. That’s probably best but it’s tricky. Stir-frying is getting pretty big these days – probably because it’s way easier.

But you can grill it. Just be ready to move fast. The beef is sliced thin. Think about using one of those grilling pans with the holes in so you don’t need to individually flip bits of beef. That’s enough to drive anyone crazy.

Use fast and easy Korean beef bulgogi to make korean bibimbap. - 4

If you want to serve it old school – in a lettuce wrap – you should think about making ssamjang. That will mean a trip to an Asian market. Takes a few ingredients you won’t get at a grocery store.

You can get gochujang and doenjang at any Asian grocer

Gochujang is a fermented soy red pepper paste. It’s spicy but not crazy hot. Doenjang is that same fermented soy bean paste without the red pepper.

Confused? It’s like any new cuisine. You will figure it out. I promise. If you are getting into Korean cooking you need the ingredients anyway.

Easy Korean beef bulgogi on a black skillet - 5 Easy Korean beef bulgogi on a black skillet - 6