“This may be one of my most beloved examples of Thai home cooking. It’s my Dad’s recipe, and kow soi was his favourite dish,” recalls food writer Kay Plunkett-Hogge. “When I had just turned seven, my Mum returned to England to put my sister into school. So Dad took me with him on a trip to Chiang Mai. It was my first time in the north, and I loved it.
“But my abiding memory is not of elephants and farmers and golden temples; it’s of going to a kow soi restaurant, where Dad ate so many bowls of it, he had to be taken back to the hotel in a wheelbarrow. A stunt that, in retrospect, I realise was more for my amusement than necessity. But still.”
Curried noodles
Equipment
- Large saucepan
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4 tbsp red curry paste good-quality
- 800 ml coconut milk
- 800 ml chicken stock
- 650 g chicken thighs cut into 2cm pieces
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 tbsp hot curry powder
- 2 long dried red chillies
- 2.5 tbsp nam pla (fish sauce)
- 1 tsp fresh lime juice
- 70 g egg noodles per head (about a ‘nest’ each), uncooked weight
To garnish
- crispy egg noodles
- 4 Thai shallots or 2 regular shallots, peeled and sliced
- lime wedges
- extra nam pla (fish sauce)
- nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste)
- fermented mustard greens (can be found in cans or vacuum packs in most Asian supermarkets)
Method
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and stir-fry until golden brown, then add the curry paste and stir-fry until fragrant – no more than 30 seconds to one minute. Add half of the coconut milk and stir gently until the paste dissolves into it. Then add the rest of the coconut milk and the stock, and allow to bubble gently until the sauce starts to reduce and to thicken slightly.
- Add the chicken, stirring it into the sauce. Then add the turmeric, curry powder, dried chillies, nam pla and lime juice, stirring them in well. Turn down the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain, then place each portion of noodles into a bowl.
- To make the crispy egg noodle garnish, soak a coil or two of egg noodles as per packet instructions. Drain and dry them well on some paper towel. Heat some oil for deep-frying. Gently lower the noodles a handful at a time into the hot oil and gently fry until crisp, turning with tongs. Remove from the oil and drain on fresh paper towels. Then, fry each batch again until they turn golden. Drain well and serve on top.
- Spoon the curry generously over the top of the noodles and serve with the garnish ingredients on the side. This is quite a spicy, heat-forward version. If you prefer a milder, creamier taste, just stir in some coconut cream on the final heat-through.
Nutrition
Baan: Recipes And Stories From My Thai Home by Kay Plunkett-Hogge, photography by Louise Hagger, is published by Pavilion Books.
Try Kay Plunkett-Hogge’s classic green chicken curry.
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