My hometown favorite food

I'm from Northern part of Thailand, the city call 'Lamphun', where is located nearby Chiang Mai Province. During my life in Thailand, I pretty much lived and go to college around the city, never had a chance to travel so far. I personally don't like Bangkok, it is too tight and crazy busy with many people, cars and noisy.

When I was at home and I would like to have some foods that easier to just go out and buy on the street a la cart or at the fresh market. One of my favorite dish that had to drive about 45 minutes to get it is "Kao Soy", actually there are so many place selling it but I only like this restaurant because it tasted so good and always busy.

Kao Soy or Thai northern curry noodle, is prepared from homemade noodle and pour over top with thick and rich flavor curry sauce, before serving they garnish with crispy noodle, cabbage pickled, sliced shallots and slice of lime. If you like more spicy, they also have toasted hot pepper paste for you to add on. When you mix all these ingredient together, it gives an incredible aroma smell of curry and lime and when it goes to your mouth it gives crispy texture of fried noodle and spicy of curry but there is balancing taste of coconut milk in the curry sauce that would not make this dish too powerful taste.

I never cooked this dish before when I lived in Thailand. One day I were talking with my friend in Thailand and she told me that she was going to have Kao Soy, that moment made me want to try to make it on my own here and share to someone here that has been far away from home. So I emailed her to ask if she could give me an idea how can I start. What she actually did, she called her mom and cooked this dish to try out before send the recipe to me. Right after I got the recipe, I went to the Asian store and got every ingredient to prepare this dish. I used beef in curry sauce because it go well together with the curry sauce however, you can substitute with chicken, I would prefer to use dark meat with bone in would give the sauce a good flavor.

Let's see how I prepared this dish;

Thai Northern Beef Curry Noodle (Kao Soy Nuer)

Tip;  I used beef in curry sauce because it go well together with the curry sauce however, you can substitute with chicken, I would prefer to use dark meat with bone in would give the sauce a good flavor.

Ingredient; make 4 serving

1/2 lbs of beef, thinly sliced
200 ml Coconut milk
150 ml water or unsalted chicken stock
2  tbsp yellow curry paste
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tsp curry powder
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar + 2 tbsp for cabbage pickle
1/4 cup/person egg or flat noodle * plus extra for deep fried noodle*
cabbage pickle
Hot pepper flake stir in oil white sesame seed
sliced shallot and lime for side dish

Direction; 

1. marinated beef with 1/4 cup of coconut milk and 1 tbsp each yellow and red curry paste, at least 4-8 hours

2. Prepare side dish, wash cabbage pickle under running water, squeeze the juice out as much and dry the water access with paper towel, cut into small pieces, in the bowl, add 2 tbsp sugar and mix well, set aside.

3. Separate the noodle from each other and shake off the flour access, deep fried in hot oil for 30 second for each side. Be careful not put too much noodle at once, make sure it separate and golden color all sides, scoop it out and place in paper towel, and let cool completely.

4. In deep pot with medium low heat, add cooking oil and 1 tbsp yellow curry and curry powder, cook until get the aroma smell or the paste get yellow brown color then add marinated beef and cook in the medium high heat, alternately add coconut milk and stir well. let it boil for about 5 minutes then add water or chicken stock, cook for about 20 minutes.

5. Give it a taste with adding sugar and fish sauce. Check if the beef is tender then turn the heat off.

6. In hot boiling water, shake off access flour in fresh noodle and cook in the hot water until the noodle cook through, about 2 minutes, then drained the water and place the noodle in deep bowl. Pour over Beef curry sauce and crispy noodle. Placing side dish with Cabbage pickle and slice shallot

Side dish; Cabbage pickle, lime, shallot and hot pepper in oil