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. Video!
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 (Chiang Mai) 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, rich 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 crispy tofu or chicken too, or even just veggies.
How to Make Khao Soi! | 30-sec 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.
Ingredients in Khao Soi
- rice noodles
- coconut oil, peanut oil or olive oil
- shallot
- lemongrass
- cloves
- Thai Red Curry Paste (store-bought, I like this brand), more for spicier
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- cardamom– optional
- coconut milk
- chicken stock or veggie broth
- kefir lime leaves
- red bell pepper (optional- sub other veggies)
- fish sauce– or vegan fish sauce
- soy sauce (perhaps reduce if using vegan fish sauce, or use to taste)
- brown sugar, palm sugar or an alternative substitute
- chili garlic sauce (Sambal Olek)
- shrimp or prawns (or sub crispy tofu, or raw, thinly sliced chicken- or leftover baked chicken or rotisserie chicken)
- lime
- Optional Garnishes: fresh basil (Thai basil is best!), pickled mustard Greens (traditional), crispy ramen noodles, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedge, thinly sliced red onions or scallions.
Variations of Khao Soi
- You can make this Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup vegan by using crispy tofu and vegan fish sauce, and swapping out veggie stock for the chicken stock. You can add more veggies to the broth.
- You can make this chicken breast or chicken thighs
- Or Make this with shrimp.
- Instead of shrimp, you can add fish.
- Traditional Khao Soi is often topped with crispy fried noodles and pickled mustard greens as a garnish which you can pick up at Asian Markets. The pickled mustard is especially nice here.
How to Garnish Khao Soi
- pickled mustard greens or stems (traditional)
- crispy ramen noodles (traditional)
- cilantro or Thai basil
- Lime wedges
- Bean sprouts
So comforting and flavorful!
Noodles in Thai Coconut Curry Soup
- rice noodles
- Chinese egg noodles
- Crispy fried ramen 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!
Khao Soi ( Thai Coconut Noodle Soup)
A flavorful and very addicting Northern Style Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup, called Khao Soi. Easy and fast, and so yummy.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4
- Category: Main, soup, seafood
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Thai
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)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 bowls
- Calories: 348
- Sugar: 10.3 g
- Sodium: 1345 mg
- Fat: 16.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 13.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 39.4 g
- Fiber: 1.9 g
- Protein: 12.5 g
- Cholesterol: 71.4 mg
Keywords: Khao Soi Recipe, easy khao soi, coconut curry noodles, thai coconut noodle soup, thai curry noodles, Khao Soi, thai curry noodles
A perfect soup on a cold spring night–doubled the amount of chicken stock and took liberties with the seasonings/protein based on what I had on hand, but your dish in essence. (One of the things I most love about your recipes is that they are robust enough to allow substitutions and tweakings –surprisingly, this is a rare gift–but maybe it’s just that I trust your palate and I’m not wandering far. )
Thanks for just what we needed in the face of an April snow.
★★★★
Thanks Bri!
This is a fabo dinner!!! 10 stars!
Yay Beth! thanks! 🙌
So delicious! It took me significantly more than 5 minutes to prep the ingredients (particularly since I made the crispy tofu) but it was well worth it! I was fortunate to have the shallot, lime leaves, palm sugar, lemongrass, thai basil, thai coconut milk, and sambal olek all on hand — they make such a difference. Loved the pinch of cardamom :).
★★★★★
thanks Tina! Glad you enjoyed this!
Was really good. I’d use more turmeric next time. Added extra cardamom, and a little anise[would also add more]. Didnt have proper noodles to fry, but there was some rotini from lunch that fried perfectly! Used tempeh and added bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms and extra broth. thanks for the recipe, i’ll def use again.
★★★★
Sounds good Simmah!
Hi- This looks really good and I want to make it. Do you have any substitutions for coconut milk? I understand that it will change the flavour but I don’t want coconut flavour either!
Thanks!
Hi Fredrick- it really “makes” the soup here, I hesitate to suggest anything else to replace it! I guess you could try leaving it out completely and make it more like Tom Yum soup? More hot and sour ?
Thanks for your reply!
I made the vegan version of this tonight and was actually blown away by how it tasted just like the khao soi I’ve had in restaurants, maybe even better. I didn’t even have enough lemongrass and the ones I’d had were crap, and it was STILL delish. My only complaint was that adding the crispy tofu in at the end made for some really bland tofu and didn’t add anything to the dish. The brocolli and spinach I’d added were delish though. I’d use them again. Maybe next time I will just drop raw tofu chuncks into the soup while it cooks so it can absorb the flavor. Already excited to eat leftovers! PS, who my carnivorous husband who was initially disappointed by the lack of shrimp also loved it.
★★★★★
Great to hear Michelle. Try spicing up the tofu a bit (even with just more salt and pepper) before crisping, it will help a lot. 🙂
Good advice, I’ll try that. Thanks 🙂 love you, love your work
Fantastic recipe, 2nd time making it. I have eaten Khao soi in Northern Thailand and Laos and this is just as good! Thanks
★★★★★
Thanks so much Carol- glad you enjoyed this!
A regular go to already!! Just awesome. Thank you.
★★★★★
Awesome Tati!
So comforting and tasty, thank you for this wonderful recipe
★★★★★
Thanks-I’m so happy you enjoyed this Angeli!