Khao Soi (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Soup)

Khao Soi Recipe

If you're a spicy food lover like I am - aka "total chilihead" - curry is where you need to be. Curries are HUGE on flavor, filled with so many wonderful collections of spices and fresh ingredients.

You may think curries are HOT, but the reality is that curry can range from mild to incredibly hot, all depending on your preference.

The one thing you CAN count on with every curry I've ever tried, however, is FLAVOR. Like this particular curry - Khao Soi. It's amazing. Truly. With good heat!

Let’s talk about how to make Khao Soi, shall we?

Khao Soi Ingredients

For the curry paste:

• Dried Chiles de Arbol
• Dried New Mexico Peppers
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Fresh Ginger
• Fresh Cilantro
• Turmeric
• Yellow Curry Powder

For the curry soup:

• Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
• Coconut Milk
• Chicken Broth (or Chicken Stock)
• Chicken Thighs
• Fish Sauce
• Soy Sauce
• Palm Sugar
• Egg Noodles
• Salt

For the fried noodles:

• Egg Noodles
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt

FOR SERVING/GARNISH: Chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes, fried noodles (see below), lime wedges, red onion slices (for other options, see the discussion above)

How to Make Khao Soi (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Soup) - the Recipe Method

First, make the fried noodles by heating the vegetable oil in a pot. Do not let it boil. Add 4 ounces of egg noodles and lightly fry them, stirring occasionally, until they brown and crisp up, about 3-4 minutes.

Set them onto paper towels to drain. You can reserve some of the oil to use later if you’d like.

Next, make the Khao Soi curry paste.

Heat a large pan to medium heat and dry toast your dried peppers, flipping here and there, until they become pliable.

Cool them slightly, then remove the stems and seeds. Place the peppers in a bowl and pour hot water over them. Soak them about 20 minutes, until they are nice and soft.

Next, add the peppers along with the sliced shallots, garlic, ginger, cilantro, turmeric, curry powder, and about ¼ cup of the pepper soaking liquid to a food processor, or use a mortar and pestle.

Process to form a paste. You can add in more soaking liquid if you need to.

To make the curry soup, heat a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil in a wok or large pan. Add the Khao Soi red curry paste and cook it down, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

It will darken a bit.

Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, and add the chopped chicken.

Bring the mix to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have nicely developed.

Remove from heat. Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar. Adjust to taste with salt, fish sauce and soy sauce.

For serving, divide some prepared egg noodles into bowls, then pour the curry soup over them.

Garnish with fried egg noodles and more, then serve! More on the garnishments below.

What is Khao Soi?

Khao Soi is a signature dish of Northern Thailand, served also in Laos and Myanmar. It's a Thai coconut curry noodle soup served with either rice or egg noodles.

Its name translates to “cut rice”, where large sheets of seasoned rice noodles are cut into fine flat noodles, cooked, then added to a creamy coconut broth infused with curry paste and other optional ingredients, depending on the cook.

It’s a heavily garnished curry soup, with all sorts of possible ingredients that, again, vary from cook to cook. More on that below.

For me, it all starts with the amazing curry paste that imbues this signature Northern Thai coconut curry soup with loads of flavor.

There are different ways to make Khao Soi, though this version is similar to Massaman curry in texture and flavor.

I’m making this with a homemade curry paste, though you can use a store bought curry paste – red or yellow, or a mixture of them - if you’d like in place of the dried peppers. You won’t get the exact same flavor, but it will still be tasty.

This recipe includes chicken thighs, as I love to cook with them, though you can use whole chicken legs, thighs and wings as well, with the bone. It’s also good with seafood, particularly shrimp and white fish.A distinctive characteristic of this dish is the use of fried noodles as a garnish, which may sound a bit daunting, but in reality, it’s pretty simple to do.

Garnishes for Khao Soi

Khao Soi is typically served with a number of garnishes, and the choice is yours what you'd like to include.

Popular ingredients include pickled greens, diced shallots, sliced red onions, bean sprouts, mustard greens, cilantro, scallions, drizzles of chili oil, fresh lime wedges, spicy chili flakes, and, of course, fried noodles.

If it gets TOO spicy, serve it alongside this Traditional Indian Raita recipe, which is made from spiced yogurt. It has a nice cooling effect.

Try Some of My Popular Curry and Similar Recipes

• Chicken Vindaloo
• Spicy Thai Curry Chicken Soup
• Thai Shrimp Curry
• Thai Panang Curry
• Pad Thai Recipe
• Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken
• Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao)
• Spicy Thai Curry Chicken Soup
• Try this Tom Yum Soup recipe for a Thai favorite hot and sour soup.