Burmese Chicken-Coconut Soup (Ohn No Kyawswe)

Description

My beautiful wife is Burmese. Her grandmother made this delicious soup for me and I have been hooked ever since. I was inspired and feeling adventurous one day and decided to make it myself. Not as good as Grandma’s, but it works when she is not around.

Ingredients

  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 (16 ounce) package rice noodles
  • 1 quart lukewarm water, or as needed to cover
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 2 tablespoons chickpea flour
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • 4 green onions, sliced on the bias, green and white parts
  • 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 dash fish sauce, or to taste (Optional)
  • 1 cup crispy fried rice noodles (Optional)
  • 1 pinch curry powder, or to taste (Optional)

Instructions

  1. Place 1/2 chopped onion
  2. ginger
  3. garlic
  4. and 1/4 cup water into a blender and puree until smooth. Soak rice noodles in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 30 minutes.
  5. Season chicken thigh meat lightly with salt and black pepper in a bowl and set aside. In a separate small bowl
  6. whisk 1 cup of chicken broth into the chickpea flour. Reserve remaining 2 cups chicken broth for a later step.
  7. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken pieces and cook
  8. stirring frequently
  9. until lightly browned. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 1/2 sliced onions to the pan. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent
  10. about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until the onion is very tender and dark brown
  11. 15 to 20 minutes more. Stir in the turmeric
  12. paprika
  13. and cayenne pepper.
  14. In a medium stockpot
  15. combine cooked chicken and any juices that have accumulated
  16. browned onions
  17. onion and ginger puree
  18. and remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Carefully add chickpea flour and broth mixture
  19. stirring quickly so that the flour doesn’t clump.
  20. Bring the pot to a boil; reduce the heat to low and simmer
  21. uncovered
  22. for 15 minutes.
  23. Stir in the coconut milk and cook just until heated through. Divide the soaked rice noodles among 5 large soup bowls. Ladle the soup over the rice noodles in the bowls and garnish each bowl with lemon wedges
  24. green onions
  25. hard-cooked eggs
  26. cilantro
  27. fish sauce
  28. fried noodles
  29. and curry powder.

Prep Time: 25 mins

Cook Time: 40 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Servings: 5

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