Khao Soy

This Thai Northern dish symbolizes the big melting pot that makes Thai cuisine so special. It's got elements traced back from Myanmar, Laos, India, Chinese and, of course Thailand. What makes this extra yummy is the signature crispy fried noodles on top.

Traditionally, it is egg noodles served with chicken or beef curry and some pickled cabbages on the side. It is considered a breakfast dish, although, we wouldn't mind indulging it for lunch, pre-dinner or dinner either!

I've tweaked this recipe to make it vegan friendly, but also you can add other proteins of your choice. This recipe will make enough for 4 people but you will also have leftover curry paste for other dishes.

Ingredients

Curry paste:

- Shallots or onions 1 big one or 2 smaller ones - Fresh turmeric 4 pieces - Lemon grass 4 stalks - 1 Kaffir lime or lemon or lime (we're only going to use just the skin) - Ginger or galangal 1-2 pieces - Miso paste 2 tablespoons - Chili peppers (at your own discretion, I use 10-15 peppers) - Salt 1/2 teaspoon Other: - Wheat based noodles (egg noodles, ramen, udon, etc.) - Dumpling sheets (if you're using egg noodles, you don't need this) - Curry powder 2 tablespoons - Coconut Milk 2 cups - Protein of choice (tofu, black beans, chicken drumstick, beef, etc.) - Coriander (for topping) - Salt 1 teaspoon - Sugar 1 teaspoon Pickled cabbage: - Cabbages - Vinegar - Salt - Sugar

Instructions:

1. We're going to start with making the pickled cabbages as it needs some time to set. Chop up the cabbages in little squares. Sprinkle a hefty amount of salt into the cabbage and mix through. Leave the cabbage to soak in the salt.

2. Now we can start making the curry paste. Peel the skin of the kaffir lime or whatever citrus you are using. We only need the zest. Add all of the curry paste ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth

3. Put a pot on the stove with a little bit of oil, put 2 tablespoons of curry paste into the pot. You can keep the rest of the curry paste for other dishes.

4. Keep stirring the curry paste until the aroma comes out and the paste changes colour and becomes more vibrant. Then add 1 cup of coconut cream and mix well with the paste.

5. Add the protein that you are using. Lower the heat and let the protein marinate in the curry a bit. You may add some water if needed.

6. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 4 cups of water

7. You may choose to slow cook the curry for at least 2-3 hours for more flavour and to tenderize the protein, especially if you're cooking with meat. If you feel happy with the curry, turn off the heat.

8. Back to the pickled cabbages, squeeze out all of the water from the cabbage and rinse it well with water. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar, a pinch of sugar and stir well. The pickle is done!

How to serve:

1. Start boiling some water to cook the noodles and once ready, put them aside in a bowl

2. Grab 20 sheets of dumplings and slice them up into little noodles. If you are already using egg noodles, you can just use the egg noodles for this step.

3. Heat a pan with lots of oil, enough to deep fry the dumpling sheets.

4. When the oil is very hot, add the dumpling sheets until they crisp. This would take just a few seconds

5. Add the curry into the boiled noodles and add the crispy noodles on top. It should look like you just made a nest.

Lastly, add some pickled cabbages and coriander on top. Dig in!