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Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken (Khao Soi Style)

Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken (Khao Soi Style) reads umami 7.3, salinity 5.5 and funk & ferment 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Thai main, about 41 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.8 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.4 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.3 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.8 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.3 · Salinity 5.5 · Funk & Ferment 5.3 · Richness 5.0 · Citrus 4.8 · Sourness 4.8 · Allium 4.3 · Marine & Briny 4.3 · Sweetness 3.0 · Warm Spice 2.9 · Nutty 2.6 · Herbaceous 2.2 · Floral 1.5 · Earthy 1.5 · Fruity 1.4 · Heat 1.3 · Bitterness 1.0

What's in it (15)

• hot cooked egg noodles — 340 g
• vegetable oil — 41 g
• boneless chicken — 680 g
• salt — 5 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• garlic — 12 g
• ginger — 15 g
• curry paste — 59 g
• curry powder — 15 g
• coconut milk — 765 g
• low-salt chicken broth — 473 g
• fish sauce — 30 g
• light-brown sugar — 13 g
• lime juice — 44 g
• scallions — 400 g

Time & effort: about 41 min (39 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 127.4 kcal, 8.8 g protein, 8.2 g fat, 6.3 g carbs

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

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook 8 ounces of the egg noodles (reserving the rest for frying) until tender but still chewy, 3-4 minutes; drain, rinse under cool water, and toss with a drizzle of the oil so they don't stick.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Break the reserved noodles into a loose nest and fry, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
3. Season the chicken thighs all over with the salt. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and sear the chicken in a single layer until deeply golden on the first side, 4-5 minutes, then flip and sear the second side until deeply golden, 3-4 minutes; transfer to a plate (it won't be cooked through yet).
4. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the same pot, and saute, scraping up the browned bits, until softened and lightly golden, 5-6 minutes.
5. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add the red curry paste and curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens and smells toasty, about 2 minutes.
6. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken broth, stirring to dissolve the paste into the liquid, then return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (165°F) and tender, 12-15 minutes.
7. Stir in the fish sauce and brown sugar and simmer 2 minutes more to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat, stir in the lime juice, and taste, adding more salt or lime as needed.
8. Divide the boiled noodles among bowls, ladle the hot curry broth and chicken over the top, and finish each bowl with a tangle of the crispy fried noodles and the sliced scallions, with lime wedges alongside.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Yellow Curry Chicken and Potatoes — Thai
• Thai Coconut Curry Chicken Soup — Thai
• Coconut Curry Shrimp Pasta — Fusion
• Thai Coconut Turkey Meatballs in Red Curry — Thai
• Thai Coconut Curry Mussels — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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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.