In many areas of life, we sometimes need a little escape, and dinner’s no different. Allow me to bring you the cooking equivalent of the best escapist TV––this Khao Soi recipe. Straight from the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand!
This creamy, complex Thai coconut curry noodle soup is packed with flavor, and has become a Woks of Life reader favorite. Try it, and you’ll know why.
What Is Khao Soi?
Khao soi is a coconut curry noodle soup hailing from Northern Thailand. It consists of noodles in a thick, rich coconut broth, and usually chicken or beef.
There are many variations, including how the broth is made, what the protein base is, the type of noodles used, and other more regional variations.
Some of the common threads across those versions are:
- A thick, rich broth: Khao soi is not a particularly “brothy” noodle soup. The “soup” part of the dish is more like a thick, soupy gravy, made very rich by the coconut milk.
- Crispy Noodles: Most versions are topped with crispy fried egg noodles, which give the dish crunch and that nutty, rich flavor you can only get from the deep fryer.
- Toppings: Khao soi is served with several toppings, usually including chopped cilantro, sliced shallots, pickled mustard greens/stems, nam prik pao (a Thai sweet/spicy chili sauce), and fresh lime.
- Complexity & Textural Contrast: What truly sets Khao Soi apart is its flavor complexity and textural contrast. You have that signature Thai balance of savory, salty, sour, and sweet. The richness of the broth and the chicken are countered by the pickled and fresh toppings. Then, the texture. Bouncy, tender noodles are coated in that creamy, velvety broth, topped with a nest of crispy fried noodles that crunch with each bite.
All that said, there are other versions of Khao soi that hail from Laos and Myanmar, which bear little resemblance to this Northern Thai dish. Suffice it to say the dish has evolved over time and place.
Developing this khao soi Recipe
Our version today is based on the Northern Thai rendition, and it uses chicken. While I’ve never actually been to Thailand myself, I’ve eaten khao soi at several excellent Thai restaurants, and also did tons of research while developing this recipe.
Videos like this Khao Soi tour of Chiang Mai were especially helpful. Watch the video, and I dare you not to make this recipe! It just makes you want to hop on a plane to Thailand. While I love traveling, making the soup yourself isn’t as much of a hassle, not to mention cheaper!
I first tried Khao Soi at a restaurant called Opal Thai in Oahu, where the owner asked people at different tables to name various Thai dishes they’d heard of, only to say something along the lines of, “do you mind if I DON’T bring you any of those, and instead bring you something you haven’t tried before? We ended up having a great meal, and I tried Khao Soi for the first time.
It’s become one of my favorite Thai dishes, and after doing a lot of research and kitchen experiments, I came up with a version that stays true to that first restaurant experience I had—and according to many readers who have traveled to Chiang Mai—street food/hawker stall versions!
Start Simpler!
If you don’t necessarily have all the ingredients to make this particular noodle soup, you can also try our 15-Minute Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, which is like a shortcut version with similar flavors (you just need some boxed stock or bouillon, coconut milk, red curry paste, and dried noodles). You could also try this more Malaysian-style Curry Mee recipe!
Fresh Curry Paste + Red Curry Paste
We make a curry paste with fresh ingredients here, and also use canned Thai red curry paste. Why the two pastes?
While canned curry paste is delicious and full of flavor, I think it can definitely benefit from a little bit of brightening up with fresh ingredients. Inversely, the Thai curry paste comes packed with more complex and hard-to-find Southeast Asian ingredients—in the convenience of a can that you can buy in your local Asian market or online. Together, they make for a well-balanced flavor in the final broth.
Here’s what you’ll need for the fresh curry paste:
- Thai bird’s eye chilies – these small spicy chilies pack a punch! If you can’t find them, substitute serrano, cayenne, or even jalapeños
- Shallots: you can substitute red onion if you don’t have them on hand
- garlic
- ginger
- cilantro: even if you’re not a fan, we recommend using it! It will blend with all the other flavors!
- lime zest
- turmeric
- ground coriander
- curry powder
- shrimp paste (Thai, filipino, or Chinese shrimp pastes will all work; you can also substitute laksa paste, which has shrimp paste in it)
Khao Soi Garnishes
While the soup base is the key to this soup, the garnishes really bring the dish together! Here are all the elements, and what they add to the party:
- Thinly sliced shallots: a little spicy/sweet edge and crispness
- Lime wedges: bright acidity
- Extra cilantro: green herbaceousness and freshness
- Thai chili paste: a little extra spice and sweetness
- Pickled mustard greens: a salty-sweet-sour fermented flavor and crispness. My research led me to my recommendation to use pickled mustard stems for this Khao Soi. See the image below! You could also use pickled mustard greens, which are more leafy. They will impart a similar flavor.
- Crispy noodles: Crunch! You may be able to buy crispy noodles already fried from your local Chinese grocery store, but we recommend frying them yourself! I used wide Chinese egg noodles for the soup (they’re labeled “thick wonton noodles”). These noodles can also be fried until golden brown and served on top. Just heat a small pot of oil until it reaches about 350°F/175°C, and put the fresh noodles directly into the oil. When they’ve turned golden brown and crisp, they’re done.
Khao Soi Recipe Instructions
Add all the curry paste ingredients to a food processor. It’s a good idea to at least roughly cut the larger ingredients like shallots and ginger into smaller pieces before adding them to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until you get a smooth paste.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Make sure it’s hot before you add the oil, or the chicken might stick!
Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and stir-fry the chicken until lightly browned and about 80% cooked through (it will cook again in the soup). Remove from the pot and set aside. To the fat left in the pot, add the fresh curry paste you just made. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the canned Thai red curry paste, broth, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. When the broth is at a low simmer, add the coconut milk and fish sauce. (From this point on, don’t let the soup come up to a vigorous boil, or the coconut milk may split, giving the broth a grainy appearance.
Add the chicken back to the broth.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions.
To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Cover with chicken and broth, and garnish with sliced shallots, lime wedges, pickled mustard greens, fried noodles, cilantro, and Thai chili paste.
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Recipe
Khao Soi (Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
For the khao soi paste:
- 2 Thai bird's eye chilies
- 2 medium shallots
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1-inch piece ginger (peeled and sliced)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (stems and leaves, rinsed)
- zest of 1 lime
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 2 tablespoons shrimp paste (Thai, filipino, or Chinese shrimp pastes will all work; can substitute laksa paste)
For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 14 ounces unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce (or to taste)
- 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles (thick wonton noodles work well)
To garnish:
- thinly sliced shallots
- lime wedges
- pickled mustard stems/greens
- crispy noodles
- chopped cilantro
- Thai chili paste (Nam Prik Pao)
Instructions
- Add all the curry paste ingredients to a food processor and pulse until you get a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and stir-fry the chicken until browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. To the fat left in the pot, add the paste. Fry for 3-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the canned Thai red curry paste, broth, and brown sugar, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low. When the broth is at a low simmer, add the coconut milk and fish sauce. Add the chicken back to the broth.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions.
- To serve, divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Cover with chicken and broth, and garnish with sliced shallots, lime wedges, pickled mustard greens, fried noodles, cilantro, and Thai chili paste.
