Khao soi, northern chicken curry noodle contributed by peter
khao soi is a curry noodle dish from the northern part of Thailand; probably its roots are Burma. It is made with chicken, served over Chinese bah-mi egg noodle, and garnished with fried noodles, shallots, cilantro, pickled mustard greens, fried whole chillies and a squeeze of lime juice. The perfect noodle dish
ingredients:
3-4 pounds chicken cut into large pieces
2 1/2 tbsp red curry paste
2 tbsp oil
3 cups coconut milk
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 brown (or black) cardamom, ground
1-1 ½ cup(s) chicken stock
1/2 tsp sugar
fish sauce (to taste)
the rest of the ingredients:
about 6-7 (loosely packed) cups of Chinese bah-mi egg noodle
some shallots, (very) thinly sliced
1 pkt of Chinese pickled mustard green rinsed and thinly sliced
3-4 cups oil
3 limes, cut into slivers
6 dried chillies
a handful of cilantro, chopped
preparation:
1. Into a heavy bottom pot, add the oil and the red curry paste, curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring vigorously for a few minutes until the curry paste is fragrant. Careful not to burn.
2. Add 1 cup of coconut milk and bring to a vigorous boil for a few minutes, stirring well, until you see the red oil separating from the coconut milk mixture. Add the second cup of coconut milk; again wait until the oil separates.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, with the stock and the rest of the coconut milk. Return to the boil and then lower the heat to simmer.
4. Add the fish sauce, starting with 2 tbsp. Close the lid and let simmer until the chicken is cooked. Check the seasonings. The flavor of the curry should be salty, spicy, and with a very slight after taste of sweetness. When you taste the curry at this stage, it should be a bit saltier than what you would like the final dish to taste like. If it is under-salted now, the addition of the other ingredients at serving time may make the dish insipid.
5. Take 1 cup of the noodles, fluff up until the strands are separated. Fry a little bit at a time in a pan with very hot oil until golden; you will need to turn the noodles once in the pan to get the same color on both sides. Set aside.
6. Fry the dried chillies, very quickly, be careful not to let them burn. Set aside.
7. Slice the shallots, rinse and slice the mustard greens, cut up the limes, chop the cilantro. Set aside.
8. After the curry is prepared, bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Rinse the rest of the fresh noodles first in cold water to wash out the excess starch, and then cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Stir the noodles well to prevent sticking.
9. Transfer some cooked noodles into a bowl, top with the curry and the garnish to taste. Squeeze some lime juice into the bowl just before eating.
You could add the fried chillies if you want more heat.
