Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and Serious Eats.
A Northern Thai-style coconut curry noodle soup with tender chicken drumsticks, a fragrant homemade chilli-and-herb paste, and a topping of crisp fried noodles.
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Method
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Equipment
- small heatproof bowl
- small food processor
- medium saucepan (about 2 l)
- instant-read thermometer (probe or deep-fry)
- slotted spoon
- kitchen paper
- large heavy pot (about 5 l) with a lid
- large saucepan for the noodles
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1048 kcal |
| Protein | 46.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 75.1 g |
| of which sugars | 10.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 6.3 g |
| Fat | 65.1 g |
| of which saturates | 43.1 g |
| Fibre | 4.2 g |
| Salt | 2.37 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Curry paste
- 3 dried red chillies
- 60 ml boiling water
- 10 g coriander stems, chopped (keep the leaves for serving)
- 80 g shallots, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 lemongrass stalk, base only, sliced
- 20 g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp finely grated lime zest
Noodles
- 300 g dried flat egg noodles
- 750 ml neutral oil, for frying
Soup
- 800 ml full-fat coconut milk (2 cans, unshaken)
- 400 ml low-sodium chicken stock
- 100 ml water
- 8 chicken drumsticks, about 900 g
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 25 g palm sugar or light brown sugar
To serve
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 1
Soak the dried chillies. Pour the boiling water over the dried chillies in the small bowl and leave for 10 minutes. The hot water softens their tough skins so they blend into a smooth paste rather than leaving flecks behind. Keep the soaking liquid, as it goes into the paste too.
- 2
Blend the curry paste. Tip the soaked chillies and their liquid into the small food processor with the coriander stems, shallots, turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, curry powder and lime zest. Blend for about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides often, until completely smooth. A fully smooth paste dissolves evenly into the coconut milk instead of leaving gritty bits in the finished soup.
- 3
Fry the crisp noodle topping. Heat the oil in the medium saucepan to 160°C. Fry 60g of the noodles in batches, flipping once, for 30-60 seconds until golden and crisp, then lift them onto kitchen paper with the slotted spoon. Turn off the heat and leave the oil to cool completely before straining it for another use; the noodles firm up and turn brittle as they cool, which is the texture you're after.
- 4
Fry the paste. Scoop about 60ml of the thick cream from the top of a coconut milk can into the large pot and set it over medium heat for around 10 seconds, just until it melts. Add the paste and stir for 1-2 minutes until deeply fragrant and starting to stick to the base; this brief fry in the coconut fat concentrates the chilli and aromatics. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and the stock, and bring just to a low boil, about 3 minutes.
- 5
Simmer the chicken. Add the drumsticks to the pot, cover and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is tender and reaches 74°C near the bone. Gentle simmering keeps the meat moist while the broth slowly takes on flavour from the bone and skin. Once done, stir in the water, fish sauce and sugar, tasting before adding any extra fish sauce since brands vary in saltiness.
- 6
Cook the remaining noodles. While the soup finishes, cook the remaining 240g of noodles in a large pan of unsalted boiling water according to the packet instructions, usually 3-5 minutes, until just tender. Drain well so they don't dilute the broth. They should be soft but still have a little bite.
- 7
Serve. Divide the noodles among four deep bowls, add two drumsticks to each, and ladle over the hot coconut broth. Finish with the crisp fried noodles, sliced red onion, coriander leaves and lime wedges for squeezing over at the table.
Storage
Cool the soup quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour; use within 3 days. Store the noodles separately from the broth and crisp topping, and reheat the broth and chicken until piping hot (74°C) before combining with freshly cooked noodles. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
