Ohn No Khao Swe (Myanmar Coconut Chicken Noodles)

About This Recipe

Ohn no khao swe — literally 'coconut milk noodles' — is the Burmese comfort dish that most closely resembles Malaysian laksa and Thai khao soi, yet has its own distinct personality built on Indian-influenced turmeric and chickpea flour thickening. The broth begins with a spiced paste of onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and turmeric fried in oil, then enriched with coconut milk and chicken stock and thickened slightly with chickpea flour (besan) — a unique technique that gives the broth a slightly silky, coating texture. Egg noodles are the traditional base (unlike the rice-noodle preference in much of Southeast Asia), reflecting the Indian influence on Burmese cooking via the large Indian community that lived in colonial Rangoon. Served with crispy fried egg noodles on top, sliced red onion, cilantro, lime, dried chili flakes, and fish sauce on the side, it is a one-bowl meal of great warmth and layered complexity.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 400 gfresh or dried egg noodles
• 600 gchicken thighs, bone-in
• 600 mlcoconut milk
• 500 mlchicken stock
• 1 mediumonion, roughly chopped
• 5 clovesgarlic
• 3 cmfresh ginger, sliced
• 1 stalklemongrass, white part only
• 1.5 tspturmeric powder
• 1 tsppaprika (mild)
• 2 tbspchickpea flour (besan)
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tspsalt
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 100 gdry egg noodles for frying (crispy topping)
• 1 smallred onion, thinly sliced, for garnish
• fresh cilantrofor garnish
• 2hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 2limes, halved
• dried chili flakes and fish saucefor the table

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the spice paste

   Blend onion, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass into a smooth paste.

2. 2

   Fry the paste

   Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry paste 8-10 minutes until deeply fragrant and beginning to brown at the edges. Add turmeric and paprika, stir 1 minute.

3. 3

   Add chicken

   Add chicken thighs and stir to coat in the paste. Cook 5 minutes, browning on both sides.

4. 4

   Add coconut milk and stock

   Pour in coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce to a low simmer. Cook 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

5. 5

   Thicken with chickpea flour

   Whisk chickpea flour with 4 tbsp cold water until smooth. Stir into the simmering broth. Cook 5 more minutes, stirring, until the broth is slightly thickened. Season with fish sauce and salt.

   Chickpea flour thickening is the unique Burmese technique here — start with 2 tablespoons and add more if needed.

6. 6

   Shred chicken and make crispy noodles

   Remove chicken, shred meat from bones. Deep-fry a small nest of dry egg noodles at 180°C for 1-2 minutes until crispy. Drain.

7. 7

   Assemble

   Cook egg noodles per packet. Divide among bowls. Ladle broth with shredded chicken over noodles. Top with crispy noodles, sliced red onion, cilantro, and halved egg. Serve lime, chili flakes, and fish sauce alongside.

Variations

• •

  Pork version: replace chicken with pork belly, braised for 45 minutes until tender before adding coconut milk.

• •

  Vegetarian: use vegetable stock, replace chicken with firm tofu and chickpeas, replace fish sauce with soy sauce.

Storage

Broth keeps refrigerated up to 3 days. Noodles and crispy topping stored separately. Thin broth with stock when reheating as it thickens considerably on refrigeration.

Frequently Asked Questions