Khao Soi is a rich fragrant Coconut Curry Noodle Soup that hails from Northern Thailand. This FAST, FLAVORFUL & EASY version can be made with w/ either shrimp, crispy tofu or chicken! Vegan adaptable, GF.
No Matter how hard the past, you can always begin again. ~Buddha
This 15-Minute Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup is called Khao Soi, and hails from the Northern part of Thailand where the weather stays a bit cooler. It’s a godsend when time is short, or you are feeling a bit lazy, yet you crave something warm and spicy.
The coconut broth is fragrant and rich, coating the noodles well. And once the flavorful base is made, what you put in the soup is very adaptable. Today I’ve added prawns – but it’s delicious with cripsy tofu or chicken too, or even just veggies.
How to Make Khao Soi! | a 30-second video
Spring showers have been here, making everything exceptionally bright and green and lush. On rainy spring days like we’ve had these past few weeks, all I want to do is wrap myself up in a cozy blanket, curl up with a good book and slurp soup. Preferably with a little heat and some kind of noodle.
Variations of Khao Soi
- You can make this Thai Coconut Noodles Soup vegan by using crispy tofu and substituting vegan fish sauce.
- Or you can swap out chicken for the shrimp.
- Instead of shrimp, you can add fish.
- See recipe notes!
Signature Ingredients in Khao Soi Broth
- shallot
- lemongrass
- garlic
- turmeric
- cardamom
- coconut milk
- 4-6 kefir lime leaves (optional, but delicious!)
How to Garnish Khao Soi
- pickled mustard greens or stems (traditional)
- crispy noodles (traditional)
- cilantro or Thai basil
- Lime
- Bean sprouts
So comforting and flavorful!
Noodles in Khao Soi:
- rice noodles
- Chinese egg noodles
- Crispy egg noodles ( for the garnish)
More Thai recipes you may like:
- Thai Green Curry Noodle Soup
- Easy to Make Pad Thai with Chicken Shrimp or Tofu
- Authentic Tom Kha Gai (Thai Coconut Chicken Soup)
- Thai Green Curry with Vegetables
- Instant Pot Thai Curry Chicken
- Thai Burrito with Peanut Sauce
- 20 Delicious Thai Recipes!
THAI COCONUT CURRY NOODLE SOUP (Khao Soi)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 3-4
- Category: Main, soup, seafood
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Northern Thailand
Description
A flavorful and very addicting Northern Style Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, called Khao Soi. Easy and fast, and so yummy.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces dry rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon coconut, peanut or olive oil
- 1 large shallot finely diced ( or sub half an onion)
- 2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass
- 2 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste (store-bought, I like this brand), more for spicier
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric – optional
- pinch cardamom– optional
- 14-ounce can coconut milk
- 1 cup chicken broth (or use water and one chicken bouillon cube)
- 4–6 kefir lime leaves (optional, but delicious!)
- 1 thinly sliced red bell pepper (optional- sub other veggies)
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce– or vegan fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce ( perhaps reduce if using vegan fish sauce, or use to taste)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, palm sugar or alternative substitute
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (Sambal Olek)
- 8–12 ounces raw, peeled and deveined prawns (or crispy tofu, or raw, thinly sliced chicken- or leftover baked chicken or rotisserie chicken)
- 1 lime
- Garnish with fresh basil (Thai basil is best!), Pickled Mustard Greens (traditional), cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedge, thinly sliced red onions or scallions.
Instructions
- Start a pot of boiling water, to cook the rice noodles and make sure to follow your package directions, as rice noodles can differ. Drain and rinse with water to help prevent them from sticking together. A little oil to coat, will help here, or if you time it right, you can add it directly to the soup.
- While water is boiling, prep the shallot, garlic, lemongrass, red bell pepper, then get all other ingredients ready by the stove.
- In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add shallot and lemongrass. Saute until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1-2 minutes. Add red curry paste, turmeric, and a pinch of cardamom. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk , chicken broth and kefir lime leaves and bring to a simmer, stirring. Once gently simmering add the bell pepper, fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce and chili garlic paste.
- Add the prawns (or chicken or tofu) and gently simmer until cooked. Give a generous squeeze of lime. Taste, adding more lime/salt/ red curry paste if necessary.
- Drain the noodles. If serving all of the soup immediately, toss the noodles right into the pot and then serve. Alternatively, divide noodles into the bowls and ladle the flavorful soup over top- a bit easier to handle.
- Garnish with fresh basil, pickled mustard greens, crispy rice noodles, bean sprouts, thinly sliced red onion, lime wedge, or chopped scallions.
Notes
To bump up the flavorful coconut broth even more, add few slices of galangal!
Feel free to make the soup broth the day before and keep in the fridge, keeping the noodles separate ( they will swell in the soup) and simply reheat.
To bump up the heat, add more red chili paste or chili sauce, or a few thinly sliced fresh chilies ( as a garnish)
Keywords: curry noodles, thai noodle soup, thai curry noodles, THAI COCONUT CURRY NOODLE SOUP, Khao Soi, thai curry noodles
Our first time making this and we felt like we had went out to a restaurant for dinner! We added mushroom to the broth and then chopped cashews. Otherwise, we followed pretty closely. Thank you!
★★★★★
This is one of my favorites! Ours turned out a bit salty (probably the curry paste – Mae Ploy) but we didn’t mind that. Added some extra chicken broth and slurped away!
Great with bean sprouts too if you hate bell peppers as much as I do, haha.
★★★★★
This is such an easy and adaptable recipe. I used Rebecca Katz’s Thai coconut broth in lieu of the coconut milk and chicken broth (her broth recipes are amazing). I also added broccoli and threw in some spinach at the end. The balance of salty, sweet, sour, and umami from the fish sauce is just right.
★★★★★
So delicious! My husband actually stood up and applauded after eating and my 1-year old joined the clean plate club! So delicious and this will definitely become a go-to on cold nights. We made with chicken but will try the shrimp next. Thank you!
★★★★★
Love your recipes!!! thank you for all the hard work and love you put into it! Quick question, I can’t find kefir lime leaves in my neck of the woods, any other item I could substitute it for? ❤️
It is kind of unreplaceable- maybe add another tablespoon of lemongrass, or leave it out. 🙂
Excellent! Reminded us of our amazing time in Thailand, and eating this soup in Sukothai at a local festival.
I will definitely be making this recipe again.
Thank you!
★★★★★
Aweseome!
Your photographs are absolutely beautiful and this truly inspired me to make this dish for dinner tonight.
Sumptuous! We really enjoyed this recipe. I will certainly make it again, especially for guests.
★★★★★