Khao Soi
You can’t write about northern Thai food without mentioning this iconic dish
I spent half my childhood eating khao soi in Chiang Mai, Thailand where I lived for 10 years of my life.
Khao soi is a northern Thai curry noodle dish with influences from Burmese and Chinese cuisines. If you’ve never had khao soi, it’s a coconut curry broth that is similar to Thai yellow curry but with much more depth and intensity. Khao soi is less creamy than the Thai curries you’ve had in the states. It’s gained popularity in western countries over the years and is quite ubiquitous in Thai restaurants in New York City (try Ugly Baby) and Los Angeles (try Northern Thai Food Club). It's popular because its a very approachable dish for first-timers and for those who’ve had Thai food before (and obviously because it’s delicious).
However, khao soi is very different from other northern Thai dishes with its inclusion of non-local ingredients like coconut milk and wheat noodles. Learn more in the previous post Intro to Northern Thai Food.
Khao soi’s distinct flavors come from black and white cardamom, turmeric, and a mini star anise-like peppercorn called makwaen. It’s typically made with chicken or beef and served on top of egg noodles, fried crispy noodles, pickled mustard greens, and lime. In Thai, khao soi literally means sliced or julienned rice which likely refers to the noodle component of the dish. This shouldn’t be confused with the Thai word for noodles which is actually kuay tiew and comes from the Chinese (Chaozhou or Teochew) word for noodles.
In Chiang Mai, everyone has their favorite khao soi vendor; my favorite is Khao Soi Islam.
Khao Soi Islam
Khao Soi Islam is a family-owned business that’s been open for at least two generations. As the name implies, this is a halal establishment.
They make a unique khao soi dish where two broths are mixed before serving whereas the typical khao soi will mix both spices and coconut milk in one broth. The first broth is the spiced broth with chicken or beef. The coconut cream is added before serving which creates a more fresh and pronounced coconut flavor than other vendors. They also use a spaghetti alla chitarra-like noodle (think squared edges) where the noodle width and height are the same. Other vendors use a flatter and wider egg noodle that looks more like fettuccine.
Another popular place is Khao Soi Lamduan. This is an old establishment and even has a location in Bangkok. Lamduan serves a more typical khao soi with an integrated broth and flat egg noodles. During our 14-day quarantine in Bangkok, my cousin dropped off a few orders to supplement the hotel provided meals.
My aunt likes to believe she makes the best khao soi. Her recipe is a much more subtle version with less intense spices and more palatable for those who are not used to northern Thai food. It’s one of the most popular dishes at our restaurant Elephant Thai Kitchen in Long Beach, California.
