Khao Suey (Burmese Style Curried Noodle Soup) Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Author Notes

Khao suey is a rich and indulgent curried bowl of coconut soup that is cooked with noodles and served with a delightful melange of garnishes. In fact, the garnishes remind me of the concept of deconstructed ramen. This dish was exported from Myanmar to Eastern India and I have fond memories of it from childhood. I never did have a clear recipe for those brimming bowls of goodness that my grandmother affectionately served up; however, over time I have created my own recipe using fresh rice noodles, which keeps the recipe gluten-free and also gives it a softer touch. It can be made with regular noodles if desired, and for a vegan version, you can use sh*take mushrooms instead of the chicken. —Rinku Bhattacharya /Spice Chronicles

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Rinku Bhattacharya /Spice Chronicles is a spice-loving blogger who lives just outside of New York City.
WHAT: A spicy, coconutty soup to give everyday chicken soup a run for its money.
HOW: Chop up all the vegetables in your CSA share and simmer them with chicken and rice noodles in a rich coconut milk broth. Garnish with fresh vegetables and eggs, and slurp every last noodle.
WHY WE LOVE IT: The cozy, comforting nature of chicken noodle soup gets kicked up with spices, long rice noodles, and lots of vegetables—and gains creaminess and sweetness from coconut milk. We may never go back to the chicken broth-and-carrots stuff. —The Editors

What You'll Need

Ingredients

• For the curry base
• 2 tablespoonsoil
  
• 1 medium red onion, diced
  
• 1 tablespoonfinely grated fresh ginger
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• ¹/₂ poundboneless skinless chicken, cubed
  
• 2 teaspoonspowdered coriander
  
• 1 teaspoonpowdered cumin
  
• 1 teaspoonturmeric
  
• ³/₄ teaspoonred cayenne pepper
  
• ¹/₂ cuppuréed tomatoes (optional)
  
• 2 tablespoonstamari
  
• 3 cupsbroth (chicken or vegetable)
  
• 1 cupcoconut milk
  
• 1 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
  
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  
• 1 cupchopped cauliflower
  
• 6 ouncesrice noodles (medium thickness), preferably fresh
  
• 1 lime
  
• 2 tablespoonschopped cilantro
  

• To garnish
• ¹/₄ cupoil for frying
  
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
  
• Sliced jalapeno peppers
  
• Sliced scallions
  
• Thinly sliced carrots