Khao Soi
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''Khao soi'' or ''khao soy'' (, ; , ; , ; , ; , ) is a
Chin Haw The Chin Haw or Chin Ho (; , ), also known locally as Yunnanese ( zh, 雲南人, ), are Chinese people who migrated to Thailand via Myanmar or Laos. Most of them were originally from Yunnan, a southern province of China. They speak Southwest ...
dish served in
Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
and northern
Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. A comparable dish, '' ohn no khao swè'', is widely served in
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
. In Myanmar, it is known as "khao swè", an adaptation of the original name. Traditionally, the dough for the wheat noodles is spread out on a cloth stretched over boiling water. After steaming, the sheet noodles are rolled and cut with scissors. The dish is believed to have evolved from Chinese Muslim traders who plied the spice route when what is now modern-day northern Thailand was controlled by the Burmese. Lao khao soi is traditionally made with hand-sliced rice noodles in clear broth and topped with minced pork. In some markets in Luang Namtha and Muang Sing, vendors still hand-cut the noodles. These traditionally cut noodles can also be found in several places in northern Thailand.


Versions

There are several common versions of khao soi: *''Lao ''khao soi is completely different and has no relation to the more famous Muslim-influenced ''khao soi'', a rich coconut curry and egg rice noodle soup, of northern Thailand and Burma. ''Lao khao soi'' is a hand-sliced rice noodle soup with clear chicken, beef or pork broth topped with a tomato meat sauce made of minced pork, tomatoes, garlic, and fermented bean paste. The dish is always served with fresh herbs. ''Lao khao soi'' noodles are made with steamed rectangular sheets of rice flour batter. The streamed rice flour sheets are then rolled and sliced into wide rice noodle ribbons. The name ''khao soi'' is derived from the Lao language meaning 'sliced rice': ''khao'' is “rice” and ''soi'' ''''means “sliced” and it is probably where the dish got its name. The northern Lao provinces of Luang Namtha and
Luang Prabang Luang Prabang (Lao language, Lao: wikt:ຫຼວງພະບາງ, ຫຼວງພະບາງ, pronounced ), historically known as Xieng Thong (ຊຽງທອງ) and alternatively spelled Luang Phabang or Louangphabang, is the capital of Lu ...
are said to be the birthplace of the ''Lao khao soi''. Northern Laotians have a special way of preparing this dish; different versions of it can be found at Lao restaurants. *Northern Thai ''khao soi or Khao Soi Islam'' is closer to the present-day Burmese ohn no khao swè, being a
soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...
-like dish made with a mix of deep-fried crispy egg noodles and boiled egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, lime, ground chillies fried in oil, and meat in a curry-like sauce containing
coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...
. The curry is somewhat similar to that of yellow or
massaman curry Massaman curry (, , ) is a rich, flavourful, and mildly spicy Thai curry. It is a Fusion cuisine, fusion dish, combining ingredients from three sources: Persia, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Malay Archipelago (e.g., cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ...
but of a thinner consistency. It is popular as a street dish eaten by
Thai people Thai people, historically known as Siamese people, are an ethnic group native to Thailand. In a narrower and ethnic sense, the Thais are also a Tai peoples, Tai ethnic group dominant in Central Thailand, Central and Southern Thailand (Siam prope ...
in northern Thailand, though not frequently served in Thai restaurants abroad.
The Northern Thai ''khao soi'''s predecessor was likely a noodle dish that made its way to the region from Myanmar, via the
Chin Haw The Chin Haw or Chin Ho (; , ), also known locally as Yunnanese ( zh, 雲南人, ), are Chinese people who migrated to Thailand via Myanmar or Laos. Most of them were originally from Yunnan, a southern province of China. They speak Southwest ...
, a group of Thai Chinese Muslims from Yunnan, who traded along caravan routes through
Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...
in Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand from the 18th to early 20th centuries. Due to the Muslim influence, the noodle soup was originally
halal ''Halal'' (; ) is an Arabic word that translates to in English. Although the term ''halal'' is often associated with Islamic dietary laws, particularly meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic guidelines, it also governs ethical practices ...
, and therefore commonly served with chicken or beef, not pork.
Different variants of ''khao soi'' that are made without any coconut milk and with rice noodles instead of egg noodles are mainly eaten in the eastern half of northern Thailand. *Shan ''khao soi'' (; ) is featured in the cuisine of the
Shan people The Shan people (, , or , ), also known as the Tai Long (တႆးလူင်, ) or Tai Yai, are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan are the biggest minority of Burma (Myanmar) and primarily live in the Shan State, but also inhabi ...
who primarily live in
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
. The dish consists of hand-sliced
rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...
topped with a tomato and meat sauce. This version of ''khao soi'', as well as the version in
Chiang Rai Province Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six Provinces of Thailand, provinces that lies in Northern Thailand#Regional classification of northern Thailand, upper northern Thailand and is Thailand's northernmost province. It is bordered ...
, can contain pieces of curdled blood (see '' khow suey'').


Gallery

CVK-Khao Soi42.JPG, Chicken ''khao soi'' with curdled blood in a school cafeteria,
Chiang Rai Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai was established as a capital city in the reign of King Ma ...
, Thailand. Khao soi Mae Sai.JPG, ''Khao soi Mae Sai'', with (minced) pork and curdled blood, is a Thai variant that does not contain coconut milk or curry but uses the same sauce as in '' nam ngiao''. Khao soi nuea Fueng Fah.jpg, A Muslim style ''khao soi nuea'' (beef ''khao soi''),
Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
, Thailand. Khao soi nam na.jpg, ''Khao soi nam na'' is a style of ''khao soi'' with a minced pork-and-chilli paste, that is eaten in the eastern part of
Chiang Rai Province Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six Provinces of Thailand, provinces that lies in Northern Thailand#Regional classification of northern Thailand, upper northern Thailand and is Thailand's northernmost province. It is bordered ...
, Thailand. 2019 01 Khao soi noi songkhrueang.jpg, ''Khao soi noi songkhrueang'' is a Shan dish: a wrap made from steamed rice flour batter with a filling of steamed vegetables and dusted with ground peanuts.


See also

* List of soups * Khow suey * Laksa * Thai curry


References


External links


Khao soi recipe, Northern Thai style curried noodle soup with chicken
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khao Soi Northern Thai cuisine Laotian soups Burmese noodle dishes Southeast Asian curries Noodle soups Laotian noodle dishes Thai noodle dishes Chiang Mai province