Khao Soi

INGREDIENTS

2 heaping tbsps of red curry paste
1 – 2 tbsp oil
1 carton (946ml) of chicken broth
1 can (400ml) of coconut milk
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp shrimp paste
1 tbsp brown/palm sugar (or regular sugar, if you don’t have)
6 skin-on boneless chicken thighs, or any other protein
Salt and dark soy sauce (for the chicken)
shallots, sliced
cilantro
lime, cut into wedges
beansprouts
Thai chili paste in soybean oil (or substitute with chili oil)
egg noodles (either thick or thin, could even use ramen)

DIRECTIONS

Place a medium sized pot over medium heat with oil added into it, and cook the red curry paste until the aromatics are released, about 3 mins.

Add in the chicken broth (I used unsalted) and continue to stir until the curry paste is complete dissolved in the broth.

Next, add in the sugar, fish sauce, and shrimp paste and mix well. The shrimp paste adds a bit of umami and extra depth to the broth, which I really liked.

Bring the pot to a boil, and then add in the coconut milk. At this point you might might find the coconut milk is not incorporating well with just stirring, so take out your whisk and whisk it until it is well combined.

Taste the broth for additional seasoning, and then set aside. The broth is now complete.

For the chicken thighs, if you can’t find boneless thighs with skin-on, you can just debone it yourself. Otherwise, just get the boneless skinless thighs. I just like the crispy texture of the pan seared chicken. Season the breast by sprinkling a tiny bit of salt on both sides and add a very tiny amount of dark soy sauce to add colour it.

To cook the chicken thighs, set pan to medium-high heat, then put skin side down first and immediately bring it down to medium heat and pan sear for about 3-4 minutes on the skin side (keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t brown too much) and about 4-5 minutes on the other side, and then side aside.

Now cook the noodles according to the packaged instructions. I used fresh egg white noodles (the only fresh noodles I could find), but you can use whatever noodles you like. Personally, I prefer thicker noodles.

To assemble, place the noodles in a bowl, then ladle the soup over top. For the chicken thigh, you can either serve it as is or chop them into pieces, and place in the bowl. Next add your bean sprouts, cilantro, sliced shallots, a dollop of Thai chili paste and serve with a wedge of lime. At this point, you can add a bit more broth to your bowl if needed.

Squeeze the lime juice over top, mix well and enjoy!