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Ohn No Khao Swe (Coconut Chicken Noodles)

Ohn No Khao Swe (Coconut Chicken Noodles) reads umami 7.6, funk & ferment 5.5 and salinity 5.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Burmese main, about 1 hr 4 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.6 · Funk & Ferment 5.5 · Salinity 5.4 · Richness 5.2 · Marine & Briny 4.4 · Allium 4.2 · Nutty 3.2 · Sweetness 2.8 · Herbaceous 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.9 · Earthy 1.5 · Fruity 1.5 · Floral 1.4 · Bitterness 1.0 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (16)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 4 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 143.9 kcal, 8.7 g protein, 5.8 g fat, 14.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

  1. Blend the onion, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste with 2 tbsp water, about 2 minutes. Stir the turmeric and paprika into the paste.
  2. Heat the peanut oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat and add the paste. Fry it for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring regularly and scraping the base. It will spit, then quieten, then darken to a deep rust, and finally the oil will separate and rise in a bright orange slick. Do not shortcut this; an unfried onion paste leaves a raw sweetness that the coconut milk cannot cover.
  3. Add the chicken and turn it in the paste over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until every piece is coated and the outside has stiffened.
  4. Whisk the chickpea flour into the chicken stock until completely smooth, then pour it in with the coconut milk. Bring to a bare simmer, stirring constantly until it thickens, and cook uncovered 30 to 35 minutes at a lazy blip. Never let it boil hard, or the coconut milk will split into grease and curds. The finished soup should coat a spoon like thin custard.
  5. Meanwhile heat 3 cm of oil in a small pan to 180 C and fry the broken dried noodles in two batches for about 30 seconds each, until they puff pale gold. Lift onto kitchen paper; they should shatter when pressed.
  6. Season the soup with the fish sauce. Cook the fresh noodles in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, drain and divide between four deep bowls.
  7. Ladle the coconut chicken over the noodles and top each bowl with quartered egg, sliced spring onion, a fistful of the crisp fried noodles and a lime wedge. Squeeze the lime just before eating: the acid is what stops the coconut going cloying by the third mouthful.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.