Kao Soi Gai with Zucchini Noodles
Try this Kao Soi Gai with Zucchini Noodles recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Kao Soi Gai with Zucchini Noodles recipe, or contribute your own.
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- for the paste:
- 5 dried red thai chillis
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 small shallots peeled
- skin from 1/2 kaffir lime (or regular lime)
- 3 †piece of ginger peeled and sliced
- 1.5 †piece of turmeric sliced
- 1 lemongrass stalk tough end trimmed off and then sl
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (or 1 tablespoon fish sauce)
- 1 teaspoon mild curry powder
- for the curry:
- 4 pieces bone-in chicken drumsticks + 2 bone-in thig
- (1.5) 13.5 oz cans lite coconut milk can shaken first
- 3 medium zucchinis blade c noodles trimmed
- 1 large handful cilantro lightly chopped
- 3/4 cup diced scallions green parts only
- 1 lime quartered to garnish
- crispy noodles optional to garnish (i omitted)
- Carbohydrate 3.06944191292724 g
- Cholesterol 920 mg
- Fat 184.830161261385 g
- Fiber 0.229000000953674 g
- Protein 228.883331535074 g
- Saturated Fat 52.884965747769 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1244g)
- Sodium 1207.99601873763 mg
- Sugar 2.84044191197357 g
- Trans Fat 15.7261767117489 g
- Calories 2652 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak the chilis in water for 5 minutes.
- First, prepare the paste. There are a few ways to do this. The authentic way is with a mortar and pestle, so if you have one: smash together the lemongrass, turmeric and lime skin until they’re broken down. Add the chilis (after they’ve been soaked) and ginger and mash until all combined. Add the garlic, shallot, and yellow curry powder and keep mashing. Finally, add the shrimp paste (or fish sauce) and mix together so there are no chunks and it’s all one paste.
- If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, to make the paste: mash all of the ingredients except for the shrimp paste (or fish sauce, if that’s what you’re using) on a cutting board using anything you have that’s heavy (meat tenderizer works). Add this to a food processor and pulse until combined and paste-like. Remove, transfer to a bowl and stir in the fish sauce and stir well until paste-like, smashing again if needed.
- After the paste is made, prepare the curry. Add a large pot over medium-high heat and once the pot is hot, add the coconut milk and the prepared paste. Stir to melt the paste into the coconut milk. Add the chicken, chicken broth, fish sauce, and stir the liquid. Cook the chicken until well-cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and slice through the thickest piece to make sure it’s no longer pink on the inside. If it’s still pink, cook for another 5 minutes. If it’s ready, add the zucchini noodles to the pot and meanwhile, shred the chicken off of the chicken thighs and some of the drumsticks (try to leave the drumsticks mostly intact.) Add the pulled meat and drumsticks back into the pan and let everything cook for 3-5 minutes or until zucchini noodles are wilted.
- Using tongs, divide the drumsticks into four bowls and then divide the curry and noodles on top. Top with the cilantro, scallions, and if desired, the crunchy noodles.
Swapping traditional wheat noodles for zucchini ribbons fundamentally alters how a bowl of coconut curry soup behaves on the palate. Water-dense squash releases moisture rapidly upon heat exposure, diluting rich cooking liquids if the simmering phase exceeds five minutes. Standard egg noodles absorb broth and swell, whereas spiralized vegetables purge liquid, transforming a thick gravy into a lighter, brothy broth.
Mastering the Curry Paste and Broth Integration
Building an aromatic base requires careful physical breakdown of fibrous roots like ginger, galangal, and lemongrass. Mortar and pestle friction tears cellulose walls to release essential oils far more effectively than steel blades. Alternatively, a food processor chops fibers into fine particles rather than pulverizing them, which leaves micro-texture in the soup. Simmering the paste directly in coconut milk separates the fat solids from the water content, frying the spices in their own coconut oil before the broth dilution occurs. Monitor the bone-in poultry closely: reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit ensures safety without over-toughening the meat before it gets shredded.
- Watery broth results from failing to squeeze salted zucchini strands prior to immersion.
- Split coconut milk occurs when cooking temperatures exceed a gentle simmer; keep heat at medium-low after adding the liquids.
- Stringy, tough lemongrass stems indicate improper trimming; discard the hard outer layers and slice crosswise before pounding.
