Ingredients

Main Dish

• 1 pack (1lb) thin flour noodles (or whichever you prefer)
• 1 lb chicken
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 dried red chillies
• 10 curry leaves (or thai basil leaves)
• 1 tbsp gram flour (any thickening agent - flour/cornflour works too)
• 8 tbsp coconut powder (or 2 cups coconut milk)
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• salt
• red chilli powder

Condiments

There are many garnishes that go along with Khao Suey and this page lists just a few of the possibilities.

• red chilli powder mixed in olive oil
• 3 green chillies and 2 garlic cloves ground and mixed with 1tbsp vinegar and salt
• plain chips
• unsalted peanuts
• chopped coriander or green onion leaves
• garlic flakes fried in oil until brown
• 2-3 shallots fried in oil till dark brown (do not burn)

Preparation

Main Dish

1. Start by dicing the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinating it with the garlic paste, ginger paste, turmeric, salt and red chilli powder.
2. In the meanwhile, prepare all the condiments.
3. Add oil to a big pot on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, whole red chillies and curry leaves for about 1 minute until they start giving off an aroma.
4. Add the marinated chicken pieces and fry them, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until they mix and begin to brown a little.
5. Cover and cook till chicken is tender and most of the water released from the chicken has evaporated.
6. In the meanwhile, put the noodles to boil. Strain with cold water when cooked.
7. Dissolve the gram flour in a cup of warm water and stir until there are no lumps. Pour on the chicken in the pot and mix well.
8. Dissolve coconut powder in 2 cups of warm water (or use 2 cups of coconut milk) and pour into the pot.
9. Add some more salt for seasoning and boil the mixture. Add more water to reach the desired consistency if required, or add more seasoning according to taste.
10. Add a dash of lime juice to give the mixture it a bit of a zest.

Serving

1. Serve the noodles, khao suey chicken gravy, sauces, peanuts and chips on the table.
2. A typical helping would involve pouring the gravy on the noodles and adding all the garnishes on top.