Khao Soi Recipe: How To Make Chiang Mai Curried Noodles

Khao soi, khao soy, kao soi, kao soy, khao suey, or kow soi is a curry-based noodle dish from Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand. It is also known as northern Thai noodles, Chiang Mai noodles, or Chiang Mai curried noodles.
 

Our Khao Soi recipe results in a delectable meal in a bowl that will have you asking for more!

This signature Chiang Mai street food is arguably northern Thailand’s most popular culinary export because it’s sufficiently distinctive without being too unfamiliar and, most important, khao soi is totally delicious.
 

Even in Chiang Mai, the Mecca of the best khao soi soup, there are hundreds of variations. Some claim that the dish is derived from the cuisine of the Chinese Muslims (Yunnanese Muslims) who migrated to the north of Thailand and lived in Chiang Mai in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Others believe the dish originated in the Golden Triangle encompassing Burma (Myanmar), Laos, and northern Thailand. Others claim that it is similar to the Burmese egg noodle dish, khao swè.

No matter its origins, the best khao suey recipes capture the key quintessential Southeast Asian flavours balanced beautifully—hot, sweet, salty, and sour from the lime wedges—all in one dish.
 

Who can resist khao soi with its chicken-based broth with fresh coconut cream, its rich and creamy texture, its complex and deeply layered flavours, and its enticing aromas?

Khow Suey recipes are available in chicken, seafood, and vegetarian variants. If you want to make your khao soi recipe vegetarian, substitute the chicken with tofu, and the chicken stock with light vegetable stock or water.
 

Tips to make the best khao soi:

The heart of khao soi is the curry paste or khao soi paste—fragrant, aromatic, earthy, smoky, but surprisingly mild. It is a combination of moist aromatics and dry spices, later simmered with coconut milk, which lends richness and depth. For best results, roast the aromatics before making the curry paste as we have done in our khao soi recipe (we strongly suggest not skipping this step). This substantially enhances their flavours and makes them easier to pound or grind. Try and use a real mortar and pestle (instead of a food processor) to extract the most flavour. You can make the khao soi curry paste two or three days ahead and refrigerate it without any major loss of flavour.

In Chiang Mai, khao soi noodles are traditionally yellow, stretchy, flat egg noodles, similar in thickness to fettuccini.
 

The egg noodles in authentic khao soi are served two ways—chewy soft boiled noodles and a nest of crispy crunchy fried noodles as garnishing on the top, providing a wonderful contrast in taste and texture.
 

Be careful not to overcook the boiled khao soi noodles. They should have the perfect desired stretchy-chewy consistency when served at the table.

Because khao soi is technically a curry, the curry should be slurp-able, with a consistency like that of a light cream soup.
 

The standard toppings for chicken khao suey recipe are crispy fried noodles, wedges of lime, pickled radish (which add a wonderful flavour), shallots or onions (crispy fried), fresh coriander leaves, roasted red chilli powder, red chillies in oil, red chillies (fried and fresh), and chilli oil.
 

Follow our easy, tried and tested khao suey recipe video to learn how to make khao soi at home with no fuss and in a jiffy. We promise you will slurp every last noodle from your bowl.

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Or see all our delicious Thai Recipes right here!