CRACK SLURP PT 2 – MAH KHAO SOI

CRACK SLURP PT 2 – MAH KHAO SOI

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THIS IS MAH-KHAO-SOI,
AS IN…
MY KHAO-SOI.

PERHAPS this doesn’t come as a shocker to anyone who’s been stopping by for awhile, but I would like to, for once at least as public record, to officially confess.

Before we shake hands, break breads and plan our next travelling itinerary together, it’s best that you know this about me…  That to a point of being almost overbearing, I have an unhealthy, perverted… RAPACIOUS fixation on anything and everything that falls under the category of – street foods.

You, too! I heard?  No.  No, unfortunately I’m afraid, not like this.

I’m talking about an uncurbed obsession that overwrites all hygienic senses.  It could lead to an unpleasant behaviours that I’m dangerously comfortable with, that I would look right at your fearful eyes with unaccompanied excitement, drag you if I must, to sit down on a randomly scouted location where flies are feasting on bodies of other flies, and jitter over a bowl of something that I just ordered purely through hand-signals, as looooong as it looks tasty.  Then as if completely clueless, I’d turn and ask you with concealed hostility… Is there something wrong with your food?  

At this point, you should know that you’re stuck with a madwoman who has no intention to eat anything under a proper roof.  Ask Jason, and his collaterally-damaged digestive system has got some tearful stories to tell.  I’m not proud… I’m not proud…

OK fine, I am.

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Due to this very sickness, in the entire 15 years of my existence in North America mostly under the watchful eyes of some-kinda-FDA, I’ve only managed to land my feet on New Orleans and a numbers of non-food-motivated resorts in the Caribbean.  Compared to say, in the scant 6 years of moving back to Asia, I’ve already skimmed through the surface of every major countries in the Southeast – Vietnam… Thailand… Malaysia… Indonesia… undisputedly, the street-food court on planet Earth.  In fact, I don’t recall sitting down in an actual, proper “restaurants” throughout the entire time.  I don’t think my ass had graced anything but plastic.  And I guess as a legitimate concern, the great India is still left unturned because Jason isn’t ready to find out what it would do to his more sensitive soft parts.  Deep down… he knows he can’t hold this beast back much longer…

But other than India, there’s another overlooked jewel, another street food-junkie haven that I haven’t paid justice to.  Just over the promised horizon in Northern Thailand, there is this place called, Chiangmai.

I haven’t been to Chiangmai.

I don’t know why the fuck I haven’t been to Chiangmai, as it is allegedly the place to be for street-foods in Thailand, and somehow I left it out of my poorly planned trip.  And I guess on some level, I must have some balls to call what I’m cooking today, by the name of a beloved staple from a place that I’ve never been to.

The Chiangmai noodle, aka, khao-soi.

First, let me just shout on top of my lung that this, is not, by all means, authentic khao-soi.  In fact, I’m not even exactly calling it khao-soi.  Instead, as a disclaimer, this is mah-khao-soi, as in, my khao-soi.  It’s a speed-up, scratch-the-itch kind of version if you will.  And this carefully adjusted tone, I hope, is on some level accepted because after some inconclusive research based on English-speaking websites, I have come to a bold assumption that it’s just one of those things that adapts.  From what it seems, every khao-soi makers in that region probably all has their own unique, perhaps widely variable recipes, ranging from the use of rice noodle to egg noodles, with soups that ranges from all color spectrums in between light yellow to deep red.  I’ve even seen a no-where-near-soupy, but more “saucy” version from a restaurant specialized in Northern Thai-cuisine.

So hey, based on what I’ve heard and eaten, with one eye closed no less, I dare say that it’s something with a bit of room to play with, which brings us to today’s subject – crack slurp part II.

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Khao-soi is made to be turned into crack slurp.  For one, it’s drenched in a thick, saucy soup based on a yellow curry-like paste and coconut milk.  For two, it’s very slurping as it uses fresh Asian egg noodles or rice noodles, then topped with even more crispy fried noodles!  Then last but not least, based on my experience, almost all types of Southeast Asian curries, like two peas in a pod, pair beautifully with crack (if you have just landed, it’s rendered chicken or pork fat plus the cracklings, mixed with fried shallots and in this case, garlic as well).  My instinct isn’t wrong.  Mah-khao-soi is a symphony of too-much-good-things.  Spicy, savory, aromatic and intense, with just a bit sourness from the lime to cut through the richness of coconut curry and fried shallots.

This is, yet, one of my favourite things that I’ve cooked.

I know I have loudly endorsed the act of making your own curry paste at home before, and I still believe it but today I’m going t say, don’t bother.  This dish should be theoretically fast and convenient, a satisfying weekday dinner or a late-night indulgence that you can put together in 10 minutes.  That is first, if you just take the 20 minutes of work that’s as difficult as frying bacon, the crack will keep forever in the fridge just like almost any other ingredients in the recipe (yes, even chopped mints and cilantro can be frozen).  In a fraction of time, as far as your taste-bud’s concerned at least, you can be sitting on a plastic stool somewhere on a street-corner in Thailand.  It makes this senseless hawker-beast very happy.

And somewhere inside Jason’s sensitive soft parts, there’s celebratory dance as well.

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As previously mentioned, you can choose different fats for rendering the oil and crackling.  Chicken skins or in this case, pork fat-slab (easily separable from pork-belly), whatever is available or more convenient for you.  There are many different commercial brands for Thai-style curry paste out there, and I have included a link to the exact one I used (a very thick, dense paste without oil).  Yellow curry paste is heavy on turmeric, and comparatively to red (heavier on dried red chilis) or green (heavier on cilantro and green chilis) curry paste, it’s milder and less spicy.  I’ve also tried mixing yellow and red for an even more complexed flavour.

The go-to noodle for khao soi is supposed to be fresh Asian egg noodles, which I can easily find here.  But I’m guessing that’s not the case for most of you so for convenience sake, I substituted it with dried rice vermicelli that’s similar to the ones used for pad thai, or pho bo.  Just make sure you choose one with a certain width because the “angel hair-type” rice noodles will absorb the sauce way too quickly.  I’ve also switched fried egg noodles (a staple topping for khao soi) with fried dumpling wrappers.

If you are absolutely not keen on rendering pork fat, you can use 1/2 cup of vegetable oil as substitute… just breaks my heart…

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The crack (makes for 2 ~ 3 servings with extra pork fat left):

  • 4.6 oz (130 grams) of pork fat-slab
  • 4 ~ 5 small Asian shallots, finely sliced
  • 1 head of garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper

Mah-khao soi (for 1 serving/1 bowl only):

  • 1 large handful of dried rice vermicelli from Thailand or Vietnam
  • 2 tbsp of crack-oil (the reserved pork fat)
  • 2.8 oz (80 grams) of ground chicken, beef or pork
  • 1 tbsp of Thai yellow curry paste (this is the exact brand I used)
  • The seasoning:
    • 3/4 cup of coconut milk
    • 1/4 cup of chicken stock
    • 1 tbsp of fish sauce
    • 2 tsp of soy sauce
    • 1 tsp of grated ginger
    • 1 tsp of yellow mustard
    • 1/2 tsp of sugar
    • 1/2 tsp of curry powder
    • 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbsp of finely chopped mint
  • To finish:
    • 3 tbsp of crack (pork crackling + fried shallots/garlic)
    • 1 handful of Thai basil
    • 2 tbsp of fried dumpling wrapper
    • Lime wedges
    • Orange chili sambal

To make the crack:  Freeze the pork fat-slab until hardened, at least 2 hours.  Slice it thinly then cut into small dices.  Cook the diced pork fat in a non-stick skillet or pot over medium heat, until it has rendered out all its fat and becomes crispy and golden browned (it will take a couple more min to brown after all the fat’s been rendered).  Drain it through a fine sieve, and season the pork crackling with salt and ground white pepper.

Return the pork fat to the skillet/pot (you should have around 1/2 cup) over medium-low heat, and add the finely sliced shallots.  Stir frequently and slow-fry the shallots until they are dehydrated, and turn medium-golden browned, approx 8~10 min.  They might still feel “soft” and not quite “crispy” at this point, but that’s ok.  Drain them through a fine sieve, and they will darken in color slightly and crisp up as they cool.  Season the fried shallots with salt and ground white pepper, and return the pork fat to the skillet/pot again over medium-low heat.  Now add the finely minced garlic and repeat the same process.  Drain the garlic immediately as they turn lightly-golden browned, 3 ~ 5 min.  Anything darker than that will taste bitter.  Season with salt and white pepper, and mix the seasoned pork crackling, fried shallots and garlic together.  Reserve the pork fat.  That’s the crack.  You can store the pork crackling + fried shallots + fried garlic in an air-tight container in the freezer, and the pork fat in the fridge.

To fry the dumpling wrapper:  Cut 2 ~ 3 Asian round dumpling wrapper (not wonton wrapper) into thin slices.  Fry in the pork fat over medium-high heat until golden browned and crispy.  Drain well, season with a little salt and pepper, and set aside.

To make the mah-khao-soi:  Bring a large pot of water to boil for the vermicelli.  Meanwhile:

Heat 2 tbsp of crack-oil (reserved pork fat) in a pot over medium-high heat.  Brown the ground chicken (or beef, or pork) evenly, then add the Thai yellow curry paste and cook until fragrant.  Add all the seasonings and turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook until the mixture has reduced a little and thickened slightly, approx 5 min.  Add the chopped cilantro and mint and stir to combine.

Cook the vermicelli according to package-instructions.  Drain well and transfer to a bowl/plate.  Pour the curry-mixture over the noodle, then top with 3 tbsp of crack (pork crackling + fried shallots/garlic) and torn Thai basil leaves.  Squeeze lime and orange chili sambal, stir stir and slurp slurp.

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32 Comments
  • Liz B. @ Umami Life

    05.28.2014at11:44 PM Reply

    Wow, this is so pretty and decadent! I’ve more or less been eating a “clean” version of this all week, but wish I could trade up for some cracklings!

    http://thatumamilife.wordpress.com – a clean eating bento blog. Japanese or Asian-inspired.

  • Lan | morestomach

    05.29.2014at12:10 AM Reply

    i don’t mean to rub it in your face, but on our last trip to Thailand in March we stopped over in ChiangMai and had this delectable dish. it was my first time, i thought it would be my last, until this came along. i like your take on it, using ground meat.

  • since i m not going to thailand anytime soon, i will happily slurp on your version of khao soi.

  • Farah @ The Cooking Jar

    05.29.2014at1:30 AM Reply

    I practically grew up on hawker food. In Malaysia, each and every hawker-style dish has their own interpretation and adaptations. It matters who cooks it, so it’s a common thing to hear “You can find the BEST of this dish HERE” or “Go to Kajang for the best satay”. So it’s always a gastronomical adventure finding the best of everything or what suits your tastes. That’s the beauty of hawker food!

    As for cooking styles, it’s always been a ‘little bit of this’ and a ‘little bit of that’. Measuring doesn’t really exist and they just ‘make do’ with what they have. Yet it’s this kind of food that surpasses most. From this mentality, variations of a dish are born. Just look at roti. They have roti canai, egg roti, sardines roti, cheese, roti, onion roti, tofu roti, beer roti (this one is new to me), roti boom and so much more. When you think you have tasted all the variations and dishes the country has to offer, they go and create more. I really really really miss hawker food.

    I have to hand it to you though, you make food look DELICIOUS.

  • Baby June

    05.29.2014at2:31 AM Reply

    For a while I thought you were referring to crack is in the drug, as in this is a very addicting entree, but it seems like it would be that addicting anyway. :) This looks amazing, I wish I was as good a good because I’d probably find some way to fuck this up. :P

  • IG

    05.29.2014at3:57 AM Reply

    first… the math i had to compute today to leave this comment was, 1 + 2 = ?
    i would like to thank your random mathematical equation generator for keeping it simple for my “only one cup of coffee so far” bum. second… this blog is my crack slurp. you are my crack slurp. your self-proclaimed crazy out of control no rule street food habit is my crack slurp. thank you, mandy. don’t stop.

  • Jasmine

    05.29.2014at5:50 AM Reply

    I am so bummed we didn’t make it north up to Chiang Mai and I also can’t figure out why it wasn’t on our itinerary when we went to Thailand. It is going to be a stop on my next Asia trip for sure! I’ve even researched moving there, but it stresses me out thinking about getting my 2 dogs there.

    Thanks for the recipe! The few times I have had Khao Soi, it had more gravy/sauce. But this looks delicious!

  • ami@naivecookcooks

    05.29.2014at7:02 AM Reply

    Girl, I have the same love for street food as well! This dish looks so so flavorful and I am a sucker for anything noodle based!! So I need this now. Wish you were my neighbour!

  • David

    05.29.2014at7:11 AM Reply

    Wearing a white shirt whilst eating those noodles? Some one likes to walk on the wild side.

  • Archana @ The Perfect Zest

    05.29.2014at10:02 AM Reply

    you are my street food loving sister – I’ll eat anything from a road side stall. Go to India – you will love it!!!

  • Jessica

    05.29.2014at10:12 AM Reply

    Oh man. At some point I’m going to have to attempt these noodles, until then they’re going to haunt my dreams (in the best way possible)

  • Kasi

    05.29.2014at10:19 AM Reply

    I’ll have to try yours for sure but this one… http://chezpim.com/cook/khao_soi_northe …has been my “go to” for so long now, it’s especially great with heaps of lime juice and pickled mustard greens on top! Also is the absolute bomb with egg noodles. I cook the chicken thighs for an hour or so to make it fall apart. The chicken is even better the next day so you don’t have a sad work lunch…

  • abby

    05.29.2014at7:41 PM Reply

    I can’t wait to try this! Looks so friggin amazing!

  • Jessica

    05.29.2014at10:41 PM Reply

    I’m so glad you posted this recipe and have already added the ingredients to my grocery list for the weekend. Your last slurp noodle recipe was so amazing that I’m really excited about this one. In fact everything I’ve made from your website has been incredible! You’re so talented that you had my boyfriend rushing around our favorite Asian market last week searching for MSG.

  • cheri

    06.02.2014at12:57 AM Reply

    Love street food, actually prefer it when we travel, will be making this for sure. Happy week-end to you!

  • Valentina @Hortus

    06.03.2014at4:41 PM Reply

    Aaaaaaw. This is pretty much like sex in a bowl. All your food looks so lavishly hot with all the red oil <3
    I swear I'll save the calories for a whole week and make this on a sunday or something. You know, kinda like when you feel like your body and soul need a heat slap.

  • Vicky

    06.20.2014at12:13 PM Reply

    OMG YES!! The dirtier the better! Though I once had to draw the line at a mysteriously blacked thumb in my won-ton soup…looked delicious though (the soup, not the thumb).

  • Damion

    08.14.2014at9:17 AM Reply

    I’m lucky to live in an area with a lot of different Asian style markets. This kind of food has become my go to let’s just whip something easy up.

  • KT

    09.03.2014at9:43 PM Reply

    Thank you for sharing this! I’ve been eyeing your blog for a while, but I wasn’t sure I could sub some of the ingredients to suit my diet. I gave it a shot last night and made this dish… somehow even without the pork fat, it was still really good! I am excited to try some of your other recipes.

  • Amanda Vuu

    09.30.2014at1:32 AM Reply

    i’m eating peanut butter and an apple for lunch…and i see this…i’m dyyying

  • JJ @theurbanenomad

    02.13.2015at7:35 AM Reply

    I just recently stumbled upon your blog and feel like we were separated at birth somehow. I have yet to visit Thailand, so I’m definitely making this next after I recover from a dumpling making Chinese New Year party.

  • Colleen

    04.08.2015at3:39 AM Reply

    well…I “have” been to Chiang Mai…we stayed there for two entire months last year and loved every single minute of it and we ate street food every single day and it was by far the absolute best food we have ever eaten in our lives!

  • Dianne

    05.13.2015at11:41 AM Reply

    This looks and sounds so, so delicious. I will make this tomorrow. I just wanted to know, when the recipe calls for “curry powder”, what does this mean? I’m in the US and here curry powder usually refers to Indian-style curry powder which has a very particular kind of flavor and I don’t want to use the wrong thing here. So if you would be so kind as to let me know what type of curry powder I should use, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks. I love your blog by the way, you have such a unique and funny voice.

    • mandy@ladyandpups

      05.13.2015at12:28 PM Reply

      Dianne, I used a Malaysian brand curry powder, but Indian-style will totally be fine, too. Every brand of curry powder all vary slightly, so I wouldn’t worry too much about it :)

  • Mary

    05.18.2015at5:55 AM Reply

    This looks absolutely delicious even though I don’t know how to pronounce the name. I will have to try it this week. Your pictures look amazing and as always inspires me to cook something a little different.

  • Adam D

    09.17.2015at5:16 AM Reply

    So far, I’ve made Churrofles, Sichuan cold wontons, and this Mah Khao Soi (with minor alterations here and there) – they’ve all been delicious and exactly the kinds of foods I love to eat when I lived in Asia. So, I guess I’m just saying awesome job on this site and for including all of the little authentic details that other cooking sites tend to gloss over. 10/10 would eat again!!

  • Angela

    12.06.2015at8:49 PM Reply

    This was a flavour-packed punch in the face. So delicious. The only thing I could fault is that it’s a bit too salty for me when made according to your measurements. Next time, cause there will be a next time, I’ll taste as I season.

    • Angela

      12.06.2015at8:52 PM Reply

      Oh and just to add. I wanted to pull out all the stops so made the orange chili sambal. Hot-damn.

  • Alan Spedding (Cumbriafoodie)

    11.08.2017at7:44 PM Reply

    I scoured Chiang Mai for the best Khao Soi and found it. There`s a good half dozen vendors claim that theirs are the best so just go and try them all to decide for yourself.
    Most of the vendors have a huge pot of the sauce bubbling away all day and so the locals come out to eat it in the late afternoon when it`s at its best. Basically its just Egg noodles in the bowl , topped with 2 chicken drumsticks and then the sauce ladled over it.
    Its then topped with crispy noodles and garnished with Red onions and pickled greens .
    Probably my favourite Thai dish.

  • Nazifa Chowdhury

    06.08.2018at7:19 AM Reply

    I cannot eat pork, what would you suggest as substitution? Because this looks delicious and I would be bummed if I cannot make this :(

    Many thanks in advance!

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