Vegan Khow Suey (Burmese Coconut Noodle Soup)
Creamy coconut curry broth with roasted besan, fresh vegetables, and a DIY topping bar over noodles. Naturally vegan and weeknight-friendly.
Equipment
- Blender or grinder
- Large pot or wok
- Small pan for toppings
Ingredients
For the Curry Paste
- 4-5 dried red chilies soaked in hot water 10 minutes
- 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 small shallot or 1/4 small onion, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemongrass tender inner part only, chopped
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
For the Coconut Broth
- 2 tablespoons besan (gram flour)
- 2 tablespoons oil same as paste, or fresh
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 cup carrot cut into rounds
- 1/2 cup bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk 400 ml
- 1 lemongrass stalk bruised, optional for extra aroma
For the Noodles
- 250 g noodles of choice wheat, rice, or egg-free
For the Topping Bar
- 1 small onion thinly sliced, for crisping
- 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons oil for frying, or use air-fryer method in notes
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts crushed
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 green chilies thinly sliced, optional
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 cup uncooked noodle strands fried until crisp, optional
Instructions
Make the Curry Paste
- Drain soaked chilies. Blend chilies, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, shallot, lemongrass, and 2 tablespoons oil into a smooth paste. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons water if needed.
- Set paste aside.
Prep the Toppings
- For crispy onions, toss thin onion slices with a pinch of salt. Pan-fry in oil over medium heat until deep golden, or air-fry at 190°C (375°F) for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking once, until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- For fried garlic, fry garlic slices in the same oil until light golden. Drain immediately; garlic keeps cooking off heat.
- Crush roasted peanuts. Chop cilantro and slice green chilies. Cut lime wedges. Set all toppings in small bowls for the topping bar.
- Optional, fry a handful of dry noodle strands in hot oil until puffed and golden. Drain and break into short pieces.
Build the Coconut Broth
- Dry-roast besan in a small pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty and turns slightly deeper in color. Whisk with 1/4 cup water until smooth. Set slurry aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot. Add curry leaves; let them crackle for 10 seconds.
- Add curry paste. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the raw smell fades and oil separates slightly at the edges.
- Stir in mixed vegetables and turmeric. Cook 2 minutes.
- Pour in vegetable broth and bruised lemongrass stalk (if using). Simmer 8 to 10 minutes until vegetables are tender but still have a little bite.
- Stir in the besan slurry. Simmer 2 minutes until the broth thickens slightly.
- Reduce heat to low. Pour in coconut milk. Stir gently and warm through 3 to 4 minutes. Do not boil hard. Season with salt. Remove lemongrass stalk before serving.
Cook the Noodles
- Boil noodles in salted water according to package directions until al dente.
- Drain and rinse briefly under cold water so they do not clump. Toss with a few drops of oil if holding for more than 10 minutes.
Assemble and Serve
- Place a portion of noodles in each bowl.
- Ladle hot coconut broth and vegetables over the noodles.
- Let everyone add their own toppings, crispy onions, fried garlic, peanuts, cilantro, green chili, chili flakes, lime squeeze, and crispy noodle bits.
- Serve immediately while the broth is hot and toppings stay crunchy.
Notes
Roast the besan before making the slurry. Raw besan leaves a chalky taste that no amount of simmering fully fixes.
Keep coconut milk at a gentle simmer. A rolling boil can split the milk and make the broth grainy.
Make-ahead, cook paste and broth up to 2 days ahead. Reheat gently and add fresh coconut milk if the broth looks thick. Prep toppings separately; cook noodles fresh.
Kid-friendly, skip green chili at the table and keep chili flakes on the side. Mild dried Kashmiri chilies in the paste give color without harsh heat.
Gluten-free, use rice noodles or certified GF noodles. Check that any soy sauce add-in is GF if you use it.
Air-fryer toppings, toss onion and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil and air-fry until crisp for a lighter version with less splatter.
Storage, store broth in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of broth or water if needed. Noodles are best cooked fresh.
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