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Burmese Khow Suey (Curried Noodle Soup)

If something can be called a bowl of happiness, this could well be it. Burmese Khow Suey is a delicious noodle dish made with egg noodles, curried chicken and coconut milk. Served with a variety of condiments, each spoon full of soup you eat will be bursting with flavours! Khow Suey is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Burmese cuisine.

There are many variants of Khow Suey recipes. Chefs across the world have tailored it to suit their local preferences and ingredients that are easily available in their kitchens. In some recipes, you’ll see fish sauce and peanuts, while in some others chicken stock, paprika and cayenne peppers.

Burmese Khow Suey Image
Burmese Khow Suey

This is ‘The Take It Easy’ version of Khow Suey. I have used only those ingredients that I could source fresh in India. Try it this weekend. Have a big, hearty bowl of happiness!

If you liked the Burmese Khow Suey recipe, you might like the following recipes as well.

  • Lemongrass chicken – Morsels of chicken cooked with fragrant lemongrass and simmered in silky, creamy coconut milk.
  • The ‘take-it-easy’ fried rice – Here is a bowl of fried rice that can beat your favourite takeaway!
  • Bibimbap with Chicken Bulgogi – Bibimbap or bi bim bap means mixed rice. It consists of a variety of sauteed, seasoned veg and meat served on a bed of rice, topped with a fried egg, and accompanied by some hot chilli pepper sauce (gochujang). It’s delicious!

 

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4.86 from 7 votes

Burmese Khow Suey (noodles in a curried coconut sauce)

If something can be called a bowl of happiness, this could well be it. Khow Suey is a delicious noodle dish from Burma made with egg noodles, curried chicken and coconut milk. Served with a variety of condiments, each spoon full of soup you eat will be bursting with flavours! Khow Suey is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Burmese cuisine.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time1 hr
Course: Main Course, Main Dish, noodles pasta
Cuisine: Burmese
Keyword: burmese soup, egg noodles, khow suey, noodle soup
Servings: 4 serving

Ingredients

  • 500 grams chicken cut to bite-size pieces
  • 300 grams egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup shallots thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup garlic thinly sliced
  • 3 small red chilies Optional. You can use all green chillies.
  • 2 green chilies slit lengthwise
  • 1 inch ginger grated
  • 500 ml coconut milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon gram flour (chickpea flour/besan)
  • 2 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaves)
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 spring onions (preferably scallions/green onions)
  • 1 lime wedges
  • salt to taste
  • 4 boiled eggs peeled and sliced into halves

Instructions

  • Heat some oil in a pan. When the oil is hot enough, reduce the flame and fry HALF of the thinly sliced garlic.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Frying garlic
  • As soon as they start turning brown, scoop them out on to a paper towel to soak up the oil.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Fry garlic to crispy
  • Now fry HALF of the thinly sliced shallots. Keep them along with the fried garlic. Leave the oil in the pan.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Frying shallots
  • Add chicken pieces to the pan and start frying them. Add more oil if you have to.
  • Once the chicken starts turning brown, add the curry leaves, grated ginger, and the remaining chopped garlic and sliced shallots.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Frying chicken with other ingredients
  • Fry this for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
  • Add the chickpea flour, turmeric powder, and salt.
  • Thinly slice the chillies. I added two green chillies and one red chilli to this mix. Cook for another 5 minutes.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Adding gram flour and turmeric powder
  • Cook the egg noodles following the instructions on the package.
  • Drain the noodles, and wash them in cold water. Leave it on a colander to drain the water. (Tip: Don't leave the noodles out for long. They'll go dry and stick to each other)
  • Your curried chicken should be cooked by now with a nice aroma filling up the kitchen.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Chicken is cooked
  • Add the coconut milk, stir well, and bring to a simmer.
    Burmese Khow Suey Steps - Adding coconut milk to the pot
  • Cook in medium heat. If the temperature goes high, the coconut milk will curdle.
  • Add salt if required. Switch off.
  • Serve hot - place some noodles and a sliced egg in a bowl, with some finely chopped cilantro, and pour the curried chicken over it.
  • Garnish with spring onions (ideally scallions, but I couldn't source this).
    Provide all other accompaniments in small bowls - fried garlic, fried shallots, cilantro, chillies and lime wedges. MUST DO: For the perfect taste, squeeze some lime into your noodle soup just before eating.

Notes

  • It'll be easy if you are using breast pieces of chicken. In my experience, using smaller pieces after removing bones (definitely time consuming) adds more flavour.
  • Coconut milk doesn't have to be thick. To reach the required quantity, it's okay to add some water.

40 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    The recipe turned out delicious. This one goes in my favourites.

  2. 5 stars
    Cheers for the recipe, very nice indeed.

  3. 5 stars
    Made it a few times now … me and family just loves this chicken khao suey recipe… the best part is all the ingredients can be locally sourced ..nothing fancy and tastes yumm

  4. 4 stars
    Very good recipe.full of flavours.instructions and pictures are very helpful and make it easy to follow.

  5. 5 stars
    Super easy n awesome. I was longing to eat this n came upon ur recipe. I must say this recipe is a keeper. It was really tasty n loved by all.

  6. Anamit Sen

    4 stars
    Hi! Would it be possible to use some other flour instead of besan? Rice flour perhaps?

  7. Hey
    I have been putting off making Khow suey thinking it is so difficult and preferred eating it out. Came across your recipie and it was such a well explained and easy to do recipie😊😊
    It turned our brilliant and we loved it!!!
    Thank u so much

  8. 5 stars
    Tried this yesterday, it came sooo well.. first time making Khao suey at home but it was nothing short of perfect all thanks to the step by step guide. 🙂

  9. 5 stars
    This is so easy to cook and tastes delicious. Big hit with everyone at home. My teens want this every weekend. Thank you so much.

    • The Take It Easy Chef

      Hi Amrita,
      Thank you very much 🙂 🙂
      Delighted to read about the reception at home!
      Thank you 🙂

  10. Dhruv Malhotra

    Hi !

    I’ve been wanting to try out Khao Suey and came across your recipe. Since my wife is Vegetarian, can you suggest which vegetables would go best in lieu of the chicken .

    Thanks !

    Dhruv

    • The Take It Easy Chef

      Hi Dhruv,
      Apologies for the delayed response.
      I hope you do get to see this comment next time when you visit the blog.
      You can keep the recipe and ingredients more or less the same.
      Tofu would be a decent substitute for chicken.

  11. 5 stars
    Amazing and really simple recipe to make. Loved it!!

  12. 5 stars
    Delicious and so easy, thank you very much

  13. Can’t believe how easy this recipe was! I thought I made enough to have leftovers for the next day, but between two of us, it was gone in minutes. I’m definitely going to make this again soon. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    • The Take It Easy Chef

      Hi Parul,
      Thank you very much for sharing such a generous compliment!
      I am happy to learn that you had fun making the Khow Suey and that it was well received 🙂

  14. 5 stars
    I made this tonight. It was a easy recipe to follow and everyone polished it off. It was enough for 3 of us. Thanks for the recipe.

    • The Take It Easy Chef

      That’s such a happy feedback, Uma! Thank you very much.
      I am happy to hear that the Khow Suey was well received. 🙂

  15. I tried this and it came out so well

    • The Take It Easy Chef

      Thank you very much Aliena!!!
      I am delighted to hear that you liked cooking my Khow Suey recipe!!
      Here is to great home cooked food. 🙂

  16. Dr Sanjivani

    The recipe is the simplest of many kho suey recipe found in various websites but tastes the best.Thank you for sharing.It was amazing and my husband loved it.

    • The Take It Easy Chef

      Thank you very much! Your feedback made my day 🙂

      And, we all love Khow Suey!!

  17. The take it easy chef

    Hi Aparajita, Thank you! I am glad you liked it. This is a great compliment 🙂

    Using minced chicken was a nice touch. I’ll also try it next time.

  18. Aparajita Banerjee

    Made khao suey a million times….this has to be the simplest recipe and tastes great too. I substituted the chicken bits with minced chicken and it was amazing…thank you

  19. The take it easy chef

    Thank you very much!

    • Made it for a small dinner with friends and it was a hit!! Not a drop left in the bowl. This ones a keeper. Easy to make and tastes divine. Thank you for a yummy recipe.

      • The Take It Easy Chef

        🙂 🙂 Thank you very much, Amy! I don’t think there can be a better compliment that this 🙂 I am smiling from ear to ear!
        I am delighted to hear that you found the Khow Suey recipe easy to make, and that your friends loved it! Thank you for visiting my blog.

  20. food lover

    Lovely! Great pics, and a recipe that looks so easy to cook.

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