OH-NO-KHAO-SWE

OH-NO-KHAO-SWE

Ever since my visit to Myanmar earlier this year, I have been so fascinated by Burmese cuisine. It is severely underrated in Vancouver and most of the world that when I visited the country back in January, I was blown away by how impactful the flavour was.

Over my three-night stay in Yangon, I tried to each as much as I could. Some of my favourites were Shan sticky noodle, mohinga, tea leaf salad, falooda, pork noodle soup, and chickpea tofu. Burmese food is so flavourful - I can only describe the cuisine as an amalgamation of Chinese, northern Thai, Indian, and Persian. I told you it’s a flavour bomb.

I didn’t try oh-no-khao-swe when I was in Myanmar but because I have been so obsessed with Burmese cuisine, I was desperately trying to find recipes online to help me appease my cravings. I stumbled upon the now defunct, Lime & Cilantro, from a Yangon transplant in LA and hit the jackpot. I was addicted to the blog - I wanted to make everything on it! So… I’m starting with this one for now.

Oh-no-khao-swe is a wonderful rich and thick noodle soup, flavoured immensely with chicken, turmeric, fish sauce, coconut cream and lots of aromatics. The recipe seemed easy enough and I tried not to stray too far from the original recipe. The end result was absolutely fantastic. Supremely savoury and comforting, it was exactly what my body was craving as I was sick due to the 15C degree difference from a Las Vegas to Vancouver trip. It totally hit the spot.

Like other Burmese dishes, it is topped mile-high with a variety of toppings like thinly-sliced shallots, cilantro fried noodles, lime, and boiled eggs. It’s absolute perfection. Some people have described this as the Burmese cousin of the northern Thai dish, Khao soi; however, I have to disagree. I find Khao soi to be a bit sweeter and using a lot more (different) spices. I can see the similarity but this is way better, in my opinion! Give it a try and you’ll see.

OH-NO-KHAO-SWE - serves 6 (adapted from Lime & Cilantro)

• 2lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 2 tbsp turmeric

• 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika

• 3 tbsp kosher salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1 large yellow onion, quartered

• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled

• 1.5” knob of ginger, de-skinned

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• 1/3 cup fish sauce

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 1 cup chick pea flour

• 1.5 cups water

• 1 cup coconut cream

• 1 (500g) pkg fresh thin Shanghai-style noodles, cooked

• sliced shallots, cilantro, hard-boiled eggs, crispy noodles, lime wedges (to garnish)

1. De-bone the chicken thighs and throw the boneless pieces in a food processor. Pulse until you get a mix of unevenly chopped chicken pieces. Sprinkle with kosher salt, turmeric, paprika and freshly ground black pepper. Mix until the spices are well-incorporated into the chicken. Set aside to marinate.

2. Throw in the onion, garlic and ginger into your food processor and chop until it becomes mush. Heat the vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or deep-set pot over medium-high heat and add in the onion, garlic and ginger mixture. Add in the remaining turmeric and fish sauce and saute until the mixture turns golden brown and is aromatic.

3. Add in the pulsed chicken to the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Cook for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

4. Slowly add in the stock and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, while the soup is coming to a boil, mix the chick pea flour with the water and whisk until no clumps remain. Gently whisk in the chick pea mixture into the brother. The soup will thicken - feel free to add more until you achieve your desired thickness.

5. Lastly, stir in the coconut cream and mix until it is well-incorporated.

6. Divide noodles into 6 bowls, ladle soup in each bowl (there will likely be extra soup) and top with the above garnishes.