Chicken Khao Soi
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 1 hr
- Active: 30 min
Ingredients
4 cups (960 milliliters) coconut milk
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) yellow curry paste
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) massaman curry paste
2 makrut Thai lime leaves, fine chiffonade
2 pounds cooked chicken leg quarters, from Thai Chicken Stock, recipe follows
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) tamarind paste
1 cup Thai Chicken Stock, recipe follows
To Serve:
8 ounces (240 grams) fresh flat egg noodles, boiled for about 30 seconds, rinsed, and drained
1 handful fresh flat egg noodles, fried crispy, for garnish
1/2 cup (90 grams) Chinese pickled mustard greens, drained and sliced thin
1/2 cup (90 grams) shallots, peeled and cut in small dice
2 scallions, bias sliced
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Thai Chicken Stock:
2 pounds chicken leg quarters (4 pieces)
8 cups water
3/4 cup thinly sliced galangal
2 stalks lemongrass, lower thick portion only, pounded
2 to 4 makrut lime leaves
1 whole garlic bulb, halved
1 large shallot, sliced
2 to 4 Thai chiles, pounded
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of the rich coconut milk (the white, opaque part that has risen to the top) to medium heat and stir in the curry pastes. Stir-fry this mixture for about 1 minute, until the paste starts to deepen in color and is thick and fragrant. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and lime leaves. Add the cooked chicken pieces and stir to coat the pieces in the paste, about 1 minute. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Allow this to boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to a strong simmer, about 10 minutes. Once the volume of liquid has evaporated by about 1/4 or the liquid coats the back of a wooden spoon, proceed.
- Next, add the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind. Finish with the chicken stock. Taste and adjust as necessary.
- To serve: Separate the noodles into 4 bowls and place a chicken leg in each. Ladle about 6 to 8 ounces of the rich broth over each noodle bowl. Garnish with crispy noodles, mustard greens, shallots, scallions and cilantro on top.
Thai Chicken Stock:
- Place the chicken leg quarters in a stock pot and cover with 8 cups cold water. Bring to a simmer. Add the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, shallot and chiles to the stock and allow to simmer. Skim foam and fat often, continue to simmer for about 1 hour 30 minutes. Reserve the cooked chicken legs. Skim off any additional fat and strain the stock through cheesecloth.