I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to tell you about this stunner of a dish. If you’ve already skimmed through the list of ingredients, I know what you’re thinking. I won’t lie, this recipe does call for quite a few elements and steps, but I guarantee that you will not regret it.
Khow suey is essentially a Burmese noodle dish served with a subtly spiced coconut curry/soup that’s topped with an array of contrasting condiments. A bit like the Singaporean laksa. I know it sounds a little intimidating at first, but it didn’t take too long for this dish to sneak its way into my list of regulars.
Among the areas where my willpower is at its weakest, I think throwing in extra garlic reigns supreme. The recipe says 5, I go with 7. 6? 9. And then there’s also this thing for odd numbers. OCD, much? Yes, I think so. I know that I’m going to have my own version of “Chicken with 43 cloves of garlic” someday.
I’ve made this recipe from time to time using store-bought coconut milk, but if you have access to making a fresh batch at home, there’s nothing like it. The chillies might seem like a lot, but once the seeds have been taken out, you get more flavour than heat from them. Also, the coconut milk really tones down the fieriness too. If you’d like it milder anyway, reduce the number.
Every time I make this, nostalgia sets in and takes me right back to family dinners at home. This recipe (like many others), is from my mom’s collection that I brought back with me when I got married and moved to Chennai. Honestly, mine tastes almost as good as hers. And that’s saying a lot.
INGREDIENTS: (Serves 3-4)
Adapted from Tarla Dalal’s Vegetarian Khow suey
Egg noodles – 300 grams, boiled and drained
Chicken thigh fillets – 300 grams, cubed
Vegetables of your choice – 1 ½ cups, chopped (I used baby corn, cauliflower florets, beans and carrots)
Coconut milk – 250 ml
Onions – 2, finely chopped
Tomatoes – 2, finely chopped
Fresh lemon grass – 1 stalk (optional)
Dried red chillies – 8
Coriander seeds – 6 tsp
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Ginger – 1” piece
Garlic – 7 cloves
Roasted chana dal – 2 tbsp, powdered
Oil – 4 tbsp
Salt
Condiments:
Deep-fried onions
Raw onions, finely chopped
Hard-boiled eggs, finely sliced
Coriander leaves, finely chopped
Tomatoes, finely chopped
Wedges of lime
METHOD:
If you’re making your own coconut milk : add 1 cup of freshly grated coconut to 3 cups of water and let it sit for 10 minutes. Blend and strain. This is your first extract. Remove the strained coconut, add 1 more cup of water, blend and strain again. Mix the two extracts together, measure out 250 ml, and set aside.
In a small pan, dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chillies until lightly toasted. Add these to a blender with garlic, ginger and a dash of water and blend to a smooth paste.*
Cook the vegetables in a pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a large pot and sauté onions until the edges start to brown. Add the blended paste* and cook for 7-10 minutes until the oils start to rise to the top and the paste becomes darker. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Stick the lemon grass stem into the pot at this stage.
Add the chicken, boiled vegetables, salt, gram flour, and coconut milk along with 2 cups of water. Bring to the boil and let it simmer with a lid on for 15-20 minutes. (Note: add more water if it thickens up too much).
To serve, add noodles to a bowl and top with a generous ladleful of soup. Garnish with the toppings and a good squeeze of lime and serve hot.
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