Noodle Recipes Archives

The Ambassador’s House Style Noodle Soup (หมี่น้ำบ้านราชทูต; Mee Naam Baan Raat Thuut)

This soup dish features crispy rice vermicelli noodles, a chicken broth that has a three-flavor profile infused with the aroma of bitter orange, and a plethora of other ingredients such as crispy fried tofu, chicken, pork, crab and pickled garlic. In Thai, the phrase mee naam baan raat thuut refers to a rice vermicelli noodle soup in the style of the Ambassador’s house. The dish was not new when it appeared in the 1956 book Snacks, Tea Nibbles, Hors D’oeuvres and Drinking Food (ตำราอาหารว่าง - เครื่องน้ำชา และ เครื่องเคี้ยว หรือ กับแกล้ม) by Jeeb Bunnag (จีบ บุนนาค), as noodle dishes were often the preferred ingredient for light meals or snacks. In Grandparents Recipes: 100 Years Old Recipes (จานอร่อยจากปู่ย่า สูตรโบราณ 100 ปี), a volume printed in 2014 that highlights recipes from the kitchens of fifteen prominent families, a similar version of the dish is referred to as mee naam baan bpaak naai leert (หมี่น้ำบ้านปาร์คนายเลิศ) and is associated with Nai Lert.

Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Aromatic Coconut Sauce
(khanohm jeen naam phrik goong; ขนมจีนน้ำพริกกุ้งสูตรมหาเด็ด)

The sweet leading sour coconut cream based sauce, enriched and thickened with fragrant freshly roasted peanuts and golden beans are a wonderful coat to dress the sweet shrimp meat. The aromatics are being extracted in every possible way, by roasting, and frying, boiling and reducing, pounding and grounding. All the culinary methods are being fully employed to guarantee an absolute real first class dish. If you want to start some real Thai cooking going at your home, have the time and access to all the ingredients, than I really want you to try this dish. The building blocks of flavors work so well here and it will open you a great window to see the beginning of what is possible in Thai cuisine.

Emperor's Hong Te Rice Vermicelli (หมี่ฮ่องเต้; mee haawng dteh)

Emperor's Hong Te Rice Vermicelli, a royal Thai dish combining delicate shredded chicken and crab meat over rice noodles. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

The Ambassador’s House Style Rice Vermicelli in Broth (หมี่น้ำบ้านราชทูต; mee naam baan raat thuut)

The Ambassador's House Style Rice Vermicelli features crispy rice noodles in a complex sweet-sour broth with multiple proteins. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1945.

Javanese Rice Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวชวา; guay dtiaao cha waa)

Javanese rice noodles cut into fine strands with a jelly knife, topped with shrimp, salted turnip and peanuts in chicken stock. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Muslim-Style Curry Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวแขก; guay dtiaao khaaek)

Guay dtiaao khaaek, beef simmered in curry paste and thin coconut milk over rice noodles, seasoned only at the table. Favorite Dishes, 1978.

Sour-Sweet Savory Crispy Rice Vermicelli with Bitter Orange (Mee Krob) (หมี่กรอบส้มซ่าทรงเครื่อง ; Mee Graawp)

mee graawp sohng khreuuang (หมี่กรอบทรงเครื่อง), is an exquisitely regal dish of crispy rice vermicelli. The delicate noodles strands are washed and dried, then fried to a crisp light-golden hue. They retain their brittle crunch and airy texture even after being stir-fried with a clinging sticky sauce that encases the noodles in a thin layer of sheen. This sauce, mixed into the noodles together with other ingredients such as thin slices of pickled garlic and bitter orange peel, impart the dish with a light, fresh sweet and sour, and slightly salty and citrusy glaze.

Stir-Fried Crispy Rice Vermicelli (ผัดหมี่กรอบ; phat mee graawp)

Phat mee graawp, rice vermicelli fried crisp in pork lard, seasoned salty–sweet–sour, finished with slivered bitter orange. Lady Gleep Mahithaawn, 1949.

Khanohm Jeen Naam Yaa (ขนมจีนน้ำยา) - Fermented Rice Noodles with Minced Fish in Aromatic Coconut Curry

In the Central Plains of the Kingdom, fermented rice noodles are inextricably linked to a dish known as naam yaa. Composed of a dense, coconut-based minced fish curry, the dish is infused with layers of salted fish and possesses the distinctive, invigorating and purifying notes of fingerroot. Typically, naam yaa is served with fresh lemon basil as the herb of choice along with an array of side dishes collectively known as meuuat khanohm jeen (เหมือดขนมจีน). These include blanched bean sprouts seasoned with a touch of turmeric for color, fresh lemon basil leaves, thinly sliced three colored chilies, and ground chili for added heat. More elaborate versions will add blanched Chinese bitter gourd slices, batter-fried young morning glory shoots, and fresh shrimp minced and fried with its tomalley in pork lard, as well as crispy-fried shallots as the finishing touch.

c1933 Gaaeng Khuaa Phrik Baang Chaang (แกงคั่วพริกบางช้าง) Thai kua curry served with khanom jeen fermented rice noodles topped with pickled garlic

c1933 Khuaa Curry with Bang Chang Chilies (แกงคั่วพริกขี้หนูหรือพริกชี้ฟ้า; gaaeng khuaa phrik baang chaang): Princess Dissakul's Smoky Fish Curry Recipe

Princess Dissakul's 1933 royal Thai curry featuring secretly pounded smoked fish in rich coconut cream with Bang Chang chilies and aromatic phrik khing paste. This complex, smoky curry builds layers of earth and ember, traditionally served over khanom jeen fermented rice noodles and topped with tangy pickled garlic for a perfect balance of smoke, spice, and tang.

Malayu Beef Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวมาลายู; guay dtiaao maa laa yuu)

Malayu Noodles featuring tender beef simmered with cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, and cloves. From Jeeb Bunnag's Cookbook of Rice Companion Recipes, 1933.

Fermented Rice Noodles and Golden Coconut Chicken Sauce with an Indian Flair (ไก่ต้มขนมจีบ; gai dtohm khohn ma jeep)

Gai dtohm khohn ma jeep, a coconut-simmered chicken sauce with Indian influences served with fermented rice noodles. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

Chanthabuun Rice Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวจันทบูรณ์; guay dtiaao jan tha buun)

Guay dtiaao jan tha buun, flat rice noodles topped with aromatic coconut duck sauce and crispy potato garnish. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

“Sang-de-Boeuf Porcelain” Fermented Rice Noodles by Princess Jongjittanom Dissakul (ขนมจีนครามแดง อย่าง หม่อมเจ้าหญิงจงจิตรถนอม ดิศกุล ; khanohm jeen khraam daaeng)

"Sang-de-Boeuf Porcelain" Fermented Rice Noodles (ขนมจีนครามแดง; khanohm jeen khraam daaeng)

Sang-de-Boeuf Porcelain Fermented Rice Noodles featuring a coconut sauce infused with roasted shallots, garlic and mung beans. From Jeeb Bunnag, 1945.

Khanohm Jeen with Hindu Style Nam Ya Sauce (น้ำยาฮินดู; naam yaa hin duu)

Naam yaa hin duu, a coconut curry sauce with red and white beans, flavored with fermented soybean paste. From Jeeb Bunnag's 1945 cookbook.

Naam Yaa Jeen - Fermented Rice Noodles with Chinese Sauce by HRH Prince Krom Luang Pitak Montri (น้ำยาจีน อย่างกรมหลวงพิทักษมนตรี)

Among the various curries that can be poured over khanom jeen fermented rice noodles, this broth, known as Chinese-style “naam yaa,” is unique in that it is a water-based curry that does not have chilies. As such, rather than the typical reddish-rust color of most coconut-based naam ya dishes from the Central Plains of the Kingdom, the sauce glows with a soft, light ivory hue, beautifully reflecting the dish’s natural sweet-savoriness, which is derived from slow-braising three proteins – chicken, pork and shrimp – along with a curry paste galvanized by smoke-dried fish and aromatic roots like galangal, fingerroot and sand ginger. The naam ya broth is served over a bed of fermented rice noodles and garnished with toppings such as delicate pulled chicken breast threads, golden-crispy fried shallots and garlic, and vivid green fresh coriander leaves and spring onion. All these elements add a visual grace and a hint of freshness to the robust broth – the signature dish of Prince Krom Luang Pitak Montri (กรมหลวงพิทักษ์มนตรี).

Cancer Crab Egg Noodles (บะหมี่กรกฎ; ba mee gaaw ra goht)

Ba mee gaaw ra goht, puffed deep-fried egg noodles topped with crab, shrimp, and salted duck egg yolk balls. Jeeb Bunnag, 1933.

Fermented Rice Noodles Served with Pineapple, Fish Balls in Coconut Milk, Grilled Curried Fish Cakes, Young Ginger and Dry Shrimp Powder
(ขนมจีนซาวน้ำ ; khanohm jeen saao naam )

For the khanohm jeen saao naam version that we present today, we turn again to the writing of Thanpuying (Lady) Gleep Mahithaawn for her unique take on the dish. Her version is quite similar to the common recipe encountered nowadays, but Lady Gleep enhances it with more ingredients, elevating the dish yet another notch to the level of a majestic masterpiece.

Naam Yaa Neuua – Northern Style Naam Ya according to Lady Plean Passakornrawong (น้ำยาเหนือ)

This fermented rice noodle dish is served with a slow-cooked, chili-less broth made from pounded fish meat and aromatics cooked in coconut cream. Creamy in color and velvety in texture, the broth is seasoned either with fish sauce, fermented fish or salted fish according to one’s preferences. The broth is allowed to slow-cook, achieving its full richness over a couple of hours. Once ready, the broth is poured over the noodles, which are then topped with a glossy-orangey layer of minced shrimp meat fried with their tomalley in pork lard. Complementing this richness are crunchy yellowish bean sprouts blanched in turmeric-tinted water, a sprinkle of sweet, golden crispy-fried shallots and, finally, green lemon basil leaves that endow the dish with a unique, rustic herbal persona.

khanohm jeen naam ngiaao (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว)

Khanohm Jeen Naam Ngiaao - Shan-Style Tomato Broth over Fermented Rice Noodles with Pork, Chicken Feet and Chicken Blood Cakes (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว)

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