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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Simply Delicious Sunday Recipe 005: Kao soi (Chiang Mai curry noodles)



Once upon a time, I went to Bangkok. I was received very well and my Thai colleagues were very eager to show me around. Being a newbie in Thailand, it was an opportunity for them to introduce me to everything Thai, especially to their delectable food. They took me to the usual touristic places, and most importantly, to the best eats in Bangkok.

Of course, they know where the best places are -- and they're not in restaurants but in the food stalls by the roadside. There are a lot of these roadside food stalls around Bangkok and for about 50 Baht ($1=35.48Baht), you can enjoy a plate of fried rice, noodles, and a whole lot more. Some would frown at the thought of eating at roadside stalls but I think that it is not bad at all and they are missing if you haven't tried it yet.

Having meals in these food stalls, I was introduced to one of the popular dishes, kao soi, or the Chiang Mai curry noodles. Reminiscent of the Malaysian laksa that I also love so much, the spicy, savoury, rich and creamy flavor started my love affair with this Chiang Mai specialty. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

600ml/ 1 pint/ 2 1/2 cups coconut milk
30ml/ 2 tbsp red curry paste
5ml/ 1 tsp ground turmeric
450gms/ 1lb chicken thighs, boned and cut into bite-size chunks (pork and beef may also be used)
600ml/ 1 pint/ 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
60ml/ 4 tbsp fish sauce
15ml/ 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
juice of 1/2 - 1 lime
450gms/1lb fresh egg noodles, blanched briefly in boiling water
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Garnish:
3 spring onions, chopped
4 red chillies, seeded and chopped
60ml/ 4 tbsp sliced pickled mustard leaves, rinsed
30ml/ 2 tbsp fried sliced garlic
coriander leaves
4 fried noodle nests (optional)


1. Put one third of the coconut milk into a large saucepan, bring to a boil and stir with a wooden spoon until it separates.

2. Add the curry paste and ground turmeric, stir to mix completely and cook until fragrant.

3. Add the chicken and stir fry for about 2minutes, ensuring that all the chunks are coated with the paste.

4. Add the remaining coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and soy sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Simmer gently for about 7-10minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice.

5. Re-heat the noodles in boiling water, drain and divide between individual bowls and ladle in the hot soup. Top each serving with a few of each of the garnishes.

Et voila --



my version of laksa
A hot bowl of comfort food

I used a dried flat noodle so I soaked it first for about 15minutes in warm water before being drained for use. I added some green beans when I made this dish just for added color. There was very little sauce left when I poured the sauce on the noodles, perhaps the noodles absorbed it. Nevertheless, it still has the same aromatic and spicy flavor of kao soi that I love. Hope you'll like it too.

For more delicious recipes, head over to Tamy's Simply Delicious Sunday Recipes site.

3 comments:

Joy @ Joy Of Desserts said...

Some roadside stalls can be very tasty. It's good that they knew which ones to take you to.

My Simply Delicious Sunday post is up early too.

Clarissa said...

Looks yummy to me,dear!kaya lang ang mga hapon parang ayaw nila ng pagkaing may halong coconut milk(T_T)masarap pa naman nyan!!Thanks for sharing!^_^

Sreisaat said...

Hi Joy, I was glad they took me there... so everytime I am in Bangkok, I know exactly where to find the place now :)

Clarissa, di ba mahilig din ang mga Hapon sa curry? Ano ang nilalagay nila?