Categories: Asian

Burmese Khao Suey

I love my mom’s Khao Suey/Khow suey recipe. Khao Suey is always on the list of things she has to make for us when either me or my brother are visiting. I am not sure how authentic my mom’s Khao suey recipe is, so I wont make any claims on its authenticity and let you be the judge of it. What I can guarantee is that if you like curried chicken with noodles in a coconut broth, you will love this dish.

My mom got this recipe from our neighbours when we were staying at Hindan Air Force Station, close to twenty years back, and since then she has made it several times with her own tweaks for us and for our guests. Now, I do know a few people who cringe when they hear a khao suey recipe with besan/gram flour in it. My mom’s recipe is made using gram flour. If you are a food snob and believe gram flour has no place in khao suey, then call this dish something else but definitely do make it.

As a kid, I had very low immunity, and almost every time my dad went on temporary duty to another city, I would get sick in the middle of the night, adding to my mom’s anxiety. Luckily for us and unfortunately for the family next door, the uncle next door was a doctor in the Air Force. Whenever things got out of control with my health, my mom in panic would call on him to have a look. The couple and their kids are one of the sweetest people we know and thanks to their concern my mom had it easier dealing with my health issues with my dad out of town. Aunty was the one who introduced us to this Burmese dish of Khao Suey and as an eight year old I fell in love with this dish and immediately told my mom to get the recipe and make it for us.

The thing that I love most about Khao Suey is the customization this dish offers. In my opinion, the various toppings is what makes Khao Suey so lovable. The fried garlic and the crunchy elements added on top elevates a regular bowl of chicken noodle soup to a new level of delight.

I haven’t seen too many recipes online that include aloo bhujia (fried potato and gram flour strings) as a topping but my mom always includes it and my whole family thinks it goes well with the dish. You can find aloo bhujia in indian stores and I strongly feel that it is some thing you should always have in your pantry because those potato strands are seriously good and addictive. On second thoughts- you should never have aloo bhujia in your pantry unless you plan to make khao suey. Your skinny jeans will appreciate it ;). In case you do not have the luxury to visit an Indian grocery store, you can successfully use pik-nik shoestring potatoes. They give the much needed crunch to your bowl of khao suey.

You can make this recipe vegan/vegetarian by using tofu instead of chicken and gluten free by using rice noodles instead of egg noodles. Use vegetarian broth instead of chicken if you choose to make it vegan.

If you are in Delhi, The Kitchen at Khan Market makes a pretty good Khao Suey. But if you are ready to make a little effort you can make this dish at home. When you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as we have over the last several years.

Burmese Khao Suey

Recipe Type: main

Cuisine: Burmese

Author: Shumaila

Prep time: 2 hours 20 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 3 hours 5 mins

Serves: 5-6

Curried chicken noodles in a coconut broth served with an array of delicious toppings.

Ingredients

For the chicken marination:
7 garlic cloves
1.tbsp ginger paste
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
3-4 tbsp yogurt
salt and pepper, to taste
for the coconut curry
1 small onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp gram flour/besan
3 cups chicken broth
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp tobasco
2 tbsp cilantro or corainder leaves, finely chopped
Garnishes:
2-3 green chillies, finely chopped and soaked in 6 tbsp of vinegar
4-5 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 small onion, finely chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, chopped and fried
lemon wedges
Aloo bhujia or Pik-nik potato shoestrings
fried or boiled egg, optional
For the noodles
2 garlic cloves, cut in slices
1/2 head cabbage, finely sliced
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 packets egg noodles, cooked till al dente according to packet's instructions, drained and kept aside

Instructions

For the curry:

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Marinate it with the yogurt, ginger garlic paste and salt and pepper, and leave for 2 hours.
In a large pan, add some oil. Saute the onions till translucent. Add the marinated chicken with the marination liquid. Cook on high till the chicken the chicken is no longer pink on the outside and then reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a non stick saucepan, dry roast 3 tbsp of besan/gram flour on medium heat. Roast till it starts to smell. It shouldn't be brown but you should start smelling the roasted gram flour. Remove from heat.
Add 1 cup chicken broth to the roasted besan/gram flour and whisk it in to avoid lumps. Add the coconut milk, and clean the can with the other 2 cups broth and add to the saucepan.
Add in the worcestershire sauce, tabasco and the soy sauce.
Remove cover from chicken and saute it till its dry and let it become light brown.
Add the coconut milk mix to the chicken. Once the mixture starts boiling let it simmer on low covered for 15 min. Season with salt and pepper.
Later add tabasco and a little of the green chillies kept in vinegar. And more worcestershire sauce if required.
If the curry is too thin, cook on high, uncovered, for a few minutes to thicken up a bit. Sprinkle some cilantro.

For the noodles:

Take 3-4 tbsp oil in a large pan and heat it. Fry the chopped garlic for the garnishes first. Remove and let lay on a paper towel to soak extra oil, if necessary.
In the same pan on high heat with the remaining oil, add the sliced garlic cloves.. Add sliced onions, if required and fry till translucent. Add the sliced cabbage, and fry for a minute. Add in the noodles. Add in the soy sauce and vinegar.

To serve:

Lay down the garnishes- chopped cilantro, chopped onions, lemon wedges (optional), fried garlic, aloo bhujia or potato shoestrings, green chillies soaked in vinegar, boiled or fried egg.
In a bowl, add the noodles. Top with the chicken coconut curry. Top with a little of each of the garnishes- but definitely the fried garlic, green chillies soaked in vinegar onions and aloo bhujia/potato shoe strings.

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