Thai Chicken Curry (Chicken Khao Soi)
Serves 4
Adapted from Bon Appetit
2-3 dried chiles de arbol
1 small chipotle chile in adobo sauce (if you don’t have, add one more dried chile de arbol)
½ onion, cut into chunks
8 cloves of garlic
2-3 inch piece of ginger, peeled
¼ cup cilantro
1 tablespoon dried coriander
1 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2x 14 ounce cans unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks (you will pull them apart once they’ve been cooked, so they don’t need to be bite-sized pieces)
1 pound egg noodles (a Chinese variety is preferred, but any type will do)
3 tablespoons fish sauce (plus more for garnish)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt, to taste
For garnish: red onions (thinly sliced), green onions (thinly sliced), bean sprouts, cilantro (coarsely chopped) red pepper flakes, chili oil, and lime wedges
Boil water. As it’s boiling, add the dried chiles de arbol to a small bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chiles to cover them. Let soak for 25-30 minutes to rehydrate them. Reserve the water the chiles were soaking in.
In a food processor, add the rehydrated chiles de arbol, 2-3 tablespoons of the soaking liquid, the chipotle chile, if you’re using, onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, dried coriander, turmeric, and curry powder. Purée until smooth and the mixture forms a paste. It shouldn’t be too saucy, so be sure not to add to much soaking liquid.
Heat a large Dutch oven, or heavy cooking pot, over medium heat. Add the paste and cook, stirring constantly, so as not to burn any of the paste. Cook until paste is slightly darkened, about 4-6 minutes.
Add the coconut milk and chicken broth and mix everything together. Bring liquid to a boil and, once boiling, add in the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the chicken simmer until cooked through and tender, about 25-30 minutes. No need to put the lid on the pot while the chicken cooks. Transfer the chicken to a plate, let it cool a bit, and shred the meat. As the chicken cools and you shred the meat, put the lid on the pot so you don’t lose too much liquid from the soup.
As the chicken is cooking, cook the noodles according to the packaging.
Once the chicken has been shredded, add it back to the pot. Add in 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and the brown sugar and give everything a good mix. Taste the soup and season with salt or more fish sauce, if desired.
To serve, divide up the noodles into 4 bowls and ladle the soup over top. Garnish with red onions, green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro, red pepper flakes, chili oil, and lime wedges.
Enjoy!
