Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup (Khao Soi)
Quick and easy khao soi gai recipe with chicken cooked in a rich, creamy, and spicy Thai coconut curry soup made with coconut cream, red curry paste, and aromatics and served with soft egg noodles and topped with crispy noodles!
Servings: 3 Servings
Calories: 561kcal
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh egg noodles (Set aside a handful for deep frying)
- 4 chicken drums (optional)
Quick & Easy Khao Soi Curry Paste
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (Use yellow curry paste for a less spicy soup)
- 1 ½ tablespoons Madras curry powder
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
Soup Ingredients
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 4-5 kaffir lime leaves
- 3 slices ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can coconut cream (400ml)
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Toppings & Garnishes (Optional, Pick and Choose)
- chili oil
- shallots or red onion (thinly sliced)
- pickled mustard greens (chopped)
- lime wedges
- green onions
- extra coconut cream
- bean sprouts
Instructions
Make the Khao Soi Curry Paste
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, 1 ½ tablespoons Madras curry powder, and 2 tablespoons oil and mix together. Set aside for later.
Prepare the Soup Spices & Toppings
- Peel the first layer of lemongrass and cut the bottom ⅔ of the stalk into 3 cm chunks. (You can discard the top part of the lemongrass that looks dry, it usually won't have any oils or flavor in it.)
- Use a rolling pin or the back of your knife (the blunt end) and smash the lemongrass to bruise it and release the oils. Keep the stalks intact so we can easily fish it out later in the soup. Set aside for later
- Peel the garlic and smash it, keeping the cloves intact as well and set aside for later
- Slice the ginger and set aside.
- While we have the cutting board out, we might as well prep the toppings!Peel and slice the shallots (or red onions) up into thin slices. (If you find raw shallots or onions too strong, squirt a bit of lime juice and let it marinate in the juice, it will mellow it out and reduce the spicy bite.)Cut the limes into wedges.Chop the pickled mustard greens into small bite-sized pieces.Scoop some chili oil and coconut cream into small bowls.Add everything to a serving plate to serve at the very end.
Cook the Coconut Curry Soup
- In a large pot, set the stove to medium heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of oil into it and wait for it to get hot
- Add in the smashed lemongrass, 4-5 kaffir lime leaves, smashed 2 cloves garlic, 3 slices ginger and the khao soi curry paste and toast it for 1-2 minutes. (The curry paste may stick to the bottom of the pan, that's perfectly okay, it's flavor!)
- Add 3 cups chicken broth, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar) and stir until everything is combined, and wait for the soup to come to a boil
- Once the soup starts boiling, turn the heat down to low and put a lid on the pot. Let it simmer for 30 minutesIf you are using chicken drums, add them in now.
- After 30 minutes, fish out the spices (lemongrass, ginger, garlic and lime leaves) and do a taste test and adjust it to your liking. (If it is not salty enough - add a little bit more fish sauce, if you like your soups a bit more sweet - add a bit more sugar in)
- (Optional) I personally like my curry soup to have a soupy consistency but if you prefer a thicker consistency in the soup, continue to simmer the soup (with the lid removed) for an additional 10-15 minutes to reduce the liquid.
- Keep it on the stove on low heat with the lid on to keep it hot while you prep the noodles and are ready to serve it.
(Optional) Deep Fry the Crispy Egg Noodle Topping
- Take about 1 cup of egg noodles and cut them into smaller 2-3 inch length pieces.
- In a small pot, add some oil (about 1-2 cm high) and set the heat to medium and wait until the oil is hot. (To test if the oil is hot, you can stick a chopstick in and see if it bubbles, or throw a small piece of noodle in to see if it bubbles)
- Once the oil is hot, add in a handful of noodles and fry them for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until they are crispy.
- Once it is crispy and done, remove it from the oil to let it cool and set aside for later.
Putting It Together
- Boil some water in a small pot and add in the egg noodles and cook it for 1 minute.
- Once the noodles are done, strain the water and add the noodles into a serving bowl.
- Add in a few ladles of the piping hot coconut curry soup and top it with the crispy noodles
- Adding in your toppings of choice and enjoy immediately while it is still warm
Notes
- Pickled mustard greens actually have a very similar flavor to sauerkraut so if you can't find the pickled mustard greens, you can substitute it with sauerkraut! :)
- When you are toasting the red curry paste, try not to inhale the fumes - the chilies create a spicy fume that is not pleasant to breathe in.
- For a less spicy curry soup, substitute red curry paste with yellow curry paste
- I highly recommend using coconut cream for its strong coconut flavor but if you cannot find coconut cream, you can use full-fat coconut milk instead.
- When you are shopping for coconut cream, look at the ingredients list on the can/box and make sure it doesn't contain any thickeners or preservatives. It should only contain water and coconut milk or coconut extract. This makes a big difference in coconut flavor.
- I have also used Pure Creamed Coconut that comes in a solid brick form in a little cardboard box and it gave this soup a FANTASTIC coconut flavor. If you can find that, I highly recommend it, but if you use this, you may need to add an additional ½ cup of broth.
