Hereโs my vegetarian version of the hearty Burmese khow suey! Learn how to get the authentic Burmese curry broth flavours, so you can tuck into this warm bowl of comfort food whenever you want a pick-me-up!
Whenever we visit an Asian restaurant, I insist on ordering the Khow Suey (curry noodle soup) just because itโs one of those meal experiences that I can build on my own. So it shouldn't really come as a surprise that I had to try recreating my very own Burmese khow suey recipe at home for you guys!
This Khow Suey recipe looks a mellow yellow but itโs bursting with flavour! Featuring bold Southeast Asian flavours from the curry paste, the creaminess from the coconut milk and lots of texture from the fried noodles - this Burmese Khow Suey is a complete flavour bomb in a bowl!
Quick Walk Through: Burmese Khow Suey
This Vegetarian Burmese Khow Suey has a bunch of elements in it, which need to be made separately. I am breaking it down for you so that you can see that while the ingredient list looks long, the dish is actually quite easy to put together!
Curry Paste for Khow Suey
This paste forms the base of the Khow Suey and gives it that distinct flavour. It uses typically Asian fresh ingredients like garlic, ginger, coriander stems (donโt throw them away, they pack in so much flavour!), peppercorn and green chillies (Full list in the recipe card below). These ingredients pack a punch into the dish. Grind these ingredients into a fine paste and keep aside.
Coconut Broth
The broth is what delivers the body and soupy consistency to this Burmese Khow Suey. It's responsible for making this dish so hearty and comforting. We start by cooking the curry paste with more aromatics, gram flour to thicken and for that nutty flavour, and water or veg stock. Allow this broth to simmer for about 20 minutes with veggies. At the very end, add coconut milk and mix it well.ย
The Noodles
This is by far the simplest part of the process. I like using egg noodles which are available easily in Indian supermarkets, but to make it vegan you can use plain flour or rice noodles. You can also choose options like ramen noodles or angel hair noodles.
Toppings
The toppings are my favourite part! I go crazy with these haha! Hereโs a list of toppings you can add to your Khow Suey:
- Fried shallots or onions
- Sliced Onions
- Fried or fresh Ginger
- Fried Garlic Chips
- Finely chopped green chillies
- Lemon wedges
- Spring onions
- Crushed chilli flakes
- Chopped coriander or cilantro
- Crispy fried noodles or wonton strips
- Chopped or coarsely powdered groundnuts (Whole groundnuts will also do)
Frequently Asked Questions
If you order this at a restaurant, youโll be served a big bowl of Khow Suey with several mini bowls full of toppings like crunchy groundnuts, burnt garlic and ginger, crispy noodles and shallots. These little additions make the entire Khow Suey eating experience so much fun. Just place some big bowls of toppings next to this steaming hot soup, and sit back and watch as the food disappears in a matter of seconds!
Top Tips To Make The Best Khow Suey At Home
- While this is a vegetarian recipe, feel free to add your choice of protein like chicken, prawns and boiled, halved eggs. These are all yummy additions to this bowl of coconut-ty goodness.
- If want more heat in your khow suey, drizzle a bit of chilli oil
- Make sure you splash some cold water on the noodles after draining them. Mushy noodles are never nice to eat, so don't overcook them.ย
This dish is great for both situations - when you have a big gang over or if itโs date night with your loved one. Tell me your happy and hearty Khow Suey experiences in the comments section!
Watch Burmese Khow Suey Recipe Video
Vegan Khow Suey
Ingredients
Curry Paste
- 8-10 cloves Garlic
- ยฝ tablespoon Ginger
- 3 tablespoon Coriander stems only
- ยฝ teaspoon Whole Coriander Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Fresh Turmeric
- 2 Shallots
- ยฝ teaspoon Whole Peppercorns
- 2 Green Chillies
Coconut Broth
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 4-6 Garlic sliced
- 3-4 Shallots sliced
- 2 Birds Eye Chillies slit lengthwise
- 8-10 Curry Leaves
- 4 cup (24.62 floz) Vegetable Broth/Water
- 2 tablespoon Besan Gram flour
- 2 stalks Lemongrass white part only
- โ cup Carrot thickly sliced
- ยผ cup Green Beans cut into 1 inch pieces
- โ cup Bell Pepper diced
- ยฝ cup Mushroom quartered
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ยฝ cup cubed Tofu
- 1ยฝ cups Thick Coconut Milk
Noodles
- 250 gram (4.17 cups) Noodles
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Toppings
- 2-3 tablespoon Coconut Oil
- ยผ cup Shallots thinly sliced
- 1 inch piece Ginger julienned
- 1 tablespoon Garlic thinly sliced
- โ cup cooked Noodles
- ยผ cup Groundnuts (peeled)
- 3 Green Chillies thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
Curry Paste
- Grind all the ingredients into a smooth paste using a blender or food processor. Add a little water while blending. Set aside.
Coconut Broth
- Use a mortar and pestle to lightly crush the lemongrass for the broth.
- Heat oil in a large pot or wok. Add the garlic and sautรฉ lightly. As the garlic begins to gain colour, add the shallots, fresh red chilli and curry leaves. Stir and sautรฉ for 2-4 minutes until the shallots become slightly translucent.
- Add the ground paste and cook over a medium flame for 4-5 minutes or until the raw smell goes away. Add the gram flour and stir to combine. Cook further for 2 more minutes, stirring continuously. Slowly add the vegetable broth and keep mixing till there are no lumps.
- Add the vegetables, crushed lemongrass, soy sauce, salt and simmer for 20 minutes and let the flavours infuse well in the broth. You can simmer it for longer for a more intense flavour.
- Add tofu and coconut milk and mix well. Turn off the flame and set aside to serve.
Noodles
- In a stockpot, bring water to a boil. Add some salt and oil to the water to prevent noodles from sticking. Add the noodles and follow the package instructions to cook it.
- In the absence of cooking instructions, simply add the noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the noodles are soft but still have a slight bite to it. Drain the noodles and give it a quick rinse in cold running water and set aside.
Toppings
- Heat coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add sliced shallots and fry till it becomes golden brown. Use a skimmer to remove the shallots and place over a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- In the same pan, add garlic and fry till it browns. Remove and place over a paper towel.
- Now add ginger and fry it for a minute till the ginger softens. Remove and place over a paper towel.
- Next fry the noodles till golden brown to make it crunchy. Remove and place over a paper towel.
- Wipe down the pan and add the groundnuts and lightly dry roast them for 1-2 minutes and keep aside.
Serving
- To serve, assemble all the toppings on a serving platter. Arrange a bowl with fresh noodles, top it over with the coconut milk broth and add your choice of toppings and enjoy it hot!
Video
Notes
- Lemongrassย use fresh lemongrass to make the broth as it is imperative to the flavour of the dish. If you can't get your hands on fresh lemongrass, use dry lemongrass leaves. Tie them up in a muslin cloth and simmer along with the broth, discard before serving.ย
- Toppings the toppings can vary based on your taste. You can also add sautรฉed chicken or prawns if you like to make it a whole meal.ย
- Gram flourย is used in this recipe not just for thickening but also adds to the flavour. If you don't have gram flour, you can use cornflour.ย
- Vegetable Broth as this is a vegan recipe, I've used vegetable broth. It can be substituted with chicken broth as well. You can even use ready store-bought boullion or stock cubes, dissolved in water.ย
KARTIKEY says
This recipe was a classic one.
The flavours that this recipe provides is just out of the world.
Made this for my Mum on mothers day and she was so happy to try this. I'm so glad that I've tried this recipe.
Gracias
Richa says
I'm so so happy you liked it
Anar says
Mine turned out horribly bitter. What could have gone wrong?
I may have to throw the entire batch.
Richa says
The bitterness could be from the turmeric. Did you may any changes to the recipe?
Ni says
Hi if i wanted to make the chicken version, i sub in chicken broth and fish sauce, anything else I can change additionally for the chicken version to add flavor please?
Richa says
No those are enough to add flavour and make a chicken khow suey
Sarah says
I made used this recipe & made the most delicious khao suey ever. Just that I replaced all the veggies with chicken & used chicken stock instead of veg stock. Next time will definitely make the veg version. I must say anybody wanting to make khao suey at home do try this recipe, the fresh masala paste & lemon grass adds so much flavour to the dish. Thank you richa for always sharing such amazing recipes !!
Munch says
Excellent and easy recipe to follow!!
Richa says
Thanks Manju! Glad you liked it
Munazza says
Turned out greatโฆSo simple and yummmm!
Anisa Khan says
This Khao Suey is pure gold! Comes together so easily and quickly thanks to your fabulous recipe and the flavour is divine! Got so many compliments when i made it for our guests. Thank you!
Richa says
Thank you so much Anisa! Really glad you liked it
Nandini says
This is bomb! Loved it..
Jyoti says
Simply Amazing
Richa says
Thanks Jyoti
Jyoti says
Amazing
Hannah says
Just tried this recipe today. So simple but the dish is extremely flavourful. Definitely going to become a regular dish at my home!
Richa says
Happy you enjoyed it Hannah
Sneha says
This was so delicious. My family loved it!! The best vegetarian alternative out there๐คค
Richa says
Awesome!!! So happy you loved it
Nazrul Jamil says
Hello Richa,
I admire your passon of all-in-one - Sharing, detailing & itemizing the Recepee and implementing to perfection this Burmese Khow Suey dish!
Actually, my sister Lucy in New Jersey,USA was having this dish for her family after Eid-May2021 and she posted the food set in the table for dinner!
It actually reminded of my other sister in Dhaka long ago when we were growing up that this Burmese Khow Suey dish was occasionally made for our family gathering in Dhaka - mostly due to its first intro by by sister's Burmese friend who migrated from Burma.
I am an Engineer & now a faculty teaching at UMASS Lowell.I love cooking our deshee Birhiani, Haria Kabab, my OWN Recepiee Vegeie Ramen Hot soup and etc.
I loved your blog as I was googling to look for the Burmese Khow Suey authentic recepiee ! Congrat for a job well done and sharing it! After I make it - I will post my comment again to your blog with Pic.
One Question: My sisters used cucumber diced - what is your recommendation? Also, can you try diced young organic cellery?
Thank you for your response!!
All the best! Nazrul Jamil, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA. May25,2021
Richa says
Hey Nazrul, thank you for your message. I'm not a big fan of adding diced cucumber because it leaves too much water which cooking. You can use zucchini instead. Also young celery would work really well here. I really hope you try this dish!
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Saher says
Easy to follow recipe and the outcome is delish. The fam loved it and so will keep making this now rather than ordering from restaurants.
Madhuri Arora says
Better than any restaurant's khao suey! Amazing
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