I first enjoyed a warm, comforting bowl of khao soi on our trip to Chiang Mai in 2019 – and it quickly became my favorite Thai dish! If you’re not familiar, khao soi is a rich and flavorful curry-like soup from Northern Thailand with egg noodles and a protein (I’ve only had it with chicken). It has a wonderful depth of flavor and like some of the best soups out there, has a host of delicious toppings that add texture, spice, flavor, and acid. It’s often topped with sliced shallot, cilantro, fried egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, nam prik pao (a Thai chili paste), and a splash of lime juice.
A few years ago, my friend Stephanie and I tried our hand at J. Kenji Lopez Alt’s Real-Deal Khao Soi Gai from Serious Eats, hoping to recreate the amazing flavors I enjoyed in Chiang Mai and we we thrilled with the results.
For years we couldn’t stop raving about our successful attempt and decided to make it again for our friend, Amanda. This time, while it was still tasty, it didn’t quite live up to how we remembered it.
We think the two culprits might have been some blah coconut milk and a couple of issues with the paste – the black cardamom pods were on the older side likely leading to a duller flavor, the spice from the Thai chili didn’t come through, and, finally, I may have used too many cilantro stems, which resulted in a green color instead of the usual deep yellow from the turmeric.
Ultimately, the complexity of flavors we experienced the first time didn’t quite come through, but it was still a pretty satisfying meal – the chicken melted off the bone, the toppings took it to the next level, and our bellies were quite happy – it just wasn’t the khao soi we remembered.
I’m not giving up on making khai soi again at home – whether tinkering with this recipe or trying a new one. I just can’t get enough!
Rating: 5/5 the first time 4/5 the second
How Easy Is That: Intermediate
Store-Bought Is Fine:
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe on SeriousEats.com
