Khao Soi (ข้าวซอย) - Delicious and Hearty Curry Noodles from Northern Thailand
a drag queen's culinary connection to her maternal roots
for many, food is a bridge which connects people to their cultural identities. when we spoke with 24 year old second generation Singaporean-Thai drag queen, Earth Na Khaa, he swears that no stall/restaurant in Singapore makes Khao Soi as as authentically and as deliciously as his mother does.
similar to how he utilises drag as a way to connect to his maternal Thai lineage, he attributes eating Khao Soi as part of trying to manifest being ‘more Thai’ to make up for his typical Singaporean upbringing. after trying Azfar’s recipe of Khao Soi
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Khao Soi (ข้าวซอย)
4 chicken legs, separated into thigh and drumstick
4 servings fresh egg noodles (mee pok / mee kia)
Water, as needed
curry broth:
6 shallots
2 stick lemongrass, sliced thin
3 stalks coriander leaves (use the roots)
3 cloves garlic
50 g Khao Soi seasoning powder
800ml + 200ml tbsp coconut milk
400ml water
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
condiments:
200g pickled mustard greens, diced
6 shallots, diced
Coriander leaves
2 limes, wedged
chilli oil:
4 tbsp Thai chilli flakes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
crispy noodle garnish:
100g fresh mee pok
Oil, for deep-frying
directions:
blend or pound the shallots, lemongrass, coriander roots and garlic to a fine paste.
in a pot on medium heat, bring 200ml of the coconut milk to sizzle. once you see the oil from the coconut milk just starting to separate, combine the spice paste and the Khao Soi seasoning. saute while stirring constantly for about 5 minutes until fragrant.
add the water bring to a boil. add in the chicken pieces and bring it down to a gentle simmer. cover the pot and cook the chicken for about 20 minutes.
stir in the fish sauce and the remaining 800ml coconut milk and simmer gently for another 10 minutes, making sure the coconut milk does not split. dissolve the palm sugar into the curry. adjust seasoning to taste.
to make chilli oil, heat oil on medium heat until almost scalding hot. turn of the heat on the stove and let it cool for 1 minutes before adding the chilli flakes in. stir well and set aside.
for the noodle garnish, heat oil to about 170 degrees C. submerge noodles in oil and fry until golden and crispy.
to assemble Khao Soi, bring pot of hot water to a rolling boil. place egg noodles in a noodle strainer and submerge while constantly stirring noodles with a chopstick. once cooked but still firm, drain and place in a serving bowl.
drench over the curry with 2 chicken pieces per serving. garnish with pickled mustard greens, shallots, coriander leaf, lime wedges, chilli oil and the noodle garnish (IMPORTANT). enjoy!