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Food photo with a futuristic Cyberpunk style. A bowl of Khao Soi Chiang Mai with garnish and chopsticks.
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Chicken Khao Soi

An incredible spicy Thai chicken soup with a variety of toppings including deep-fried noodles.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Simmering time50 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Thai
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • 1 food processor or mortal & pestle ideally both
  • gas stove / blowtorch optional

Ingredients

For the paste

  • 2 dried red chili peppers optional: 4 more for deep-frying
  • 1 pods black cardamom or 2-3 green pods
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 4 shallots
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 pieces ginger thumb-sized
  • 4-8 cilantro roots included with the fresh bunch
  • 1 pinch salt ideally coarse
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric aka curcuma

For the curry

  • 1 can coconut milk without emulsifier; 400 ml
  • 8 chicken thighs incl. bones & skin
  • 100 ml chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 500 ml vegetable oil for deep-frying
  • 1 pack wonton noodles
  • some cooking oil

Toppings

  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 shallot

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

  • Put the coconut milk in the fridge so the liquid and chunky parts separate.
  • Gather all the other ingredients.
  • Wash the green onions and cut into small rolls.
  • Skin all the shallot(s). Cut the one(s) reserved for the topping into slices.
  • Wash the coriander, and shake off the water. Cut off the roots and set aside. Pluck the leaves.
  • Cut the lime into quarters.
  • Put the cut shallots, lime(s), and coriander leaves aside. They will be added as toppings at the end.
  • Pour the deep-frying oil into a small saucepan and put to low heat so it's quickly ready for deep-frying later.
  • Pre-heat the oven to about 70°C for keeping the noodle bowls warm later.

Prepare chilies & seeds for paste

  • Cut open the dried chili peppers and remove seeds. Soak in warm water for 15 minutes.
  • Open up cardamom capsule(s) with a large knife and take out the small seeds.
  • Roast the small cardamom seeds with the coriander seeds in a small pan until fragrant.
  • Take them out of the pan. Let cool and crush to a fine powder in a mortar (if not available, blend in a food processor).
  • Mix in the turmeric powder. Set aside.

Char toppings for paste

  • Take the chilies out of the water. Squeeze dry and stick on a skewer.
  • Grill over an open flame until lightly charred. (If not available, charring in an oil-free pan is also easy.)
  • Do the same with the shallots (that aren't reserved for the topping).
  • Peel the garlic and ginger and char them as well.
  • Let everything cool, then brush under running water to remove the black bits.

Make the paste

  • Clean and roughly chop the coriander roots.
  • Crush the chilies in a mortar with the coarse salt.
  • Add the whole shallots, garlic, ginger, and coriander roots to a food processor (or large mortar) and blend/pound to a fine paste.
  • Finally, stir in the dry spice mix from earlier (chilies, cardamom, turmeric).

Make the curry

  • Scoop out the hard, white coconut cream from the can using a spoon. Slowly heat up in a large sauce pan or wok.
  • As soon as the clear coconut oil starts to separate itself, add 3 to 4 tbsp of the curry paste.
  • Fry at low heat until fragrant.
  • Add the chicken legs and lightly brown from all sides. Be sure to keep the heat low, and handle the chicken actively, as things get burned easily at this stage!
  • Stir the mixed chicken stock, palm sugar, fish sauce, and 2 tbsp of (dark) soy sauce into the pan.
  • Add the remaining coconut milk. Top up with water until everything the chicken legs are just about covered.
  • There should be plenty of curry paste left. Stir in more of it to taste from here on out.
  • Leave to simmer at low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is done. (Now is a good time to take care of the remaining steps as you wait for the chicken.)
  • Take the pot off the stove and let it simmer for 30 minutes with the lid closed.

Prepare noodles

  • Cook the noodles according to package instructions, or ideally slightly undercook them. They will continue to soften in the hot broth.
  • Meanwhile, turn the heat up to medium on the deep-frying oil. It should reach around 175°C for deep-frying.
  • Drain the noodles. If they bunch up easily, stir in a little bit of (cold) oil.
  • Take a handful (~50g) of the noodles away for deep-frying. Distribute the rest to serving bowls and keep them warm in the pre-heated oven.
  • Cut the noodles for deep-frying to pieces measuring 5-10cm each.
  • Deep-fry in hot oil in saucepan until crispy.
  • Optional: Deep-fry one more dried chili per bowl for garnish.

Assemble the dish

  • Take the bowls out of the oven and pour the sauce over them.
  • Add two chicken thighs to each bowl.
  • Top with the deep-fried noodles, cut green onions, coriander leaves and deep-fried chilies.
  • Serve alongside the prepared sliced shallot(s) and lime(s).