A gold-tinted coconut-based broth featuring chicken simmered with a generous amount of galangal and turmeric. Warm, silky and soothing, the broth is served over fermented rice noodles seasoned with shiny, red-hued roasted or fried chili jam. The crowning touch is a garnish of crispy fried shallots, spring onions, and coriander leaves, a fitting tribute to the dish’s origins.
Presenting a yellow luster comparable to gold, turmeric was once considered a significant plant in India. Its cultural value went beyond cooking; for centuries, it was used in religious rites and as a miraculous therapeutic remedy that could cure illnesses and heal wounds. As such, turmeric was a common plant grown in many kitchen gardens. Yet, while we still deploy turmeric in cooking as a spice, whether dried or fresh in curry pastes, we have largely forgotten about its cultural significance and health advantages.
With this pedigree, it is unsurprising that fermented rice noodles in a rich turmeric-tinted coconut broth was once a favorite dish of the aristocracy, as a light meal or an afternoon snack, during the reign of King Rama V. In fact, similar recipes with related names are found throughout the earliest Siamese culinary literature, until the dish gradually fell out of fashion in the 1940s.
Apart from the dish’s apparent Indian style, implied in its name, and the use of chili jam, which was clearly designed to suit the Siamese palate, this dish also reflects the cultural changes within Siam and highlights the impact of globalization on the food culture of the era. Lady Plean Passakornrawong, for one – who appreciated and was especially fond of western ingredients – suggested in her 1908 book Maae Khruaa Huaa Bpaa serving the broth over Italian spaghetti or French vermicelli.
Lady Plean explains that the dish is called either gai dtohm khanohm jeen (ไก่ต้มขนมจีน) or naam yaa khaaek (น้ำยาแขก) and thus, to highlight the Indian feel of the dish, it should be served with crispy shallots fried in coconut oil or butter.
While it’s tempting to combine them all into one dish, we risk losing the element of surprise and the sense of mystery; when resurrecting traditional recipes, even minor adjustments to a recipe can result in a significant impact on the flavor and mood of a dish. More important, such adjustments may fail to bring forgotten culinary nuances back to life.
The galangal acts as a meat deodorizer and gives the chicken a pleasant aroma. Moreover, due to its astringent qualities, the taste experience and the three flavor profile of chili jam are prolonged and perceived separately. Therefore, young galangal is favored for its fresh scent, and it should be used in substantial amounts determined by the fragrance of the dish.
Turmeric powder, on the other hand, is used gradually and in quantities indicated by the color of the dish. Lady Plean’s and most of the later recipes of the dish, including that of Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid in her memorial book Sai Yaowapa, use dried turmeric powder. However, I prefer to simmer fresh turmeric with galangal and later adjust the color with a light dusting of golden turmeric powder. Different types of turmeric tint the dish in hues that can range from lemon-colored to deep orange, with different intensities of earthiness and bitterness.
I also adapted Mrs. Samaknantapol’s (Jeep Bunnag) (นางสมรรคนันทพล, จีบ บุนนาค) idea of serving the dish with a multi-sour chili jam. In her 1933 book Sam Rap Raawp Bpee (สำรับรอบปี), she seasons the chili jam with a triad of sours – tamarind paste, lime juice and bitter orange juice – bestowing upon the dish a brighter, cleansing feel and a palate-enchanting playfulness of shifting citrus aroma patterns that offset the richness of the coconut broth.
Chili jam can be stirred into the chicken broth or, as I prefer, drizzled on top when serving individual portions. The latter method, in addition to creating a visually striking color marbling between the golden broth and the shiny red blaze of the chili jam, allows diners to adjust the level of seasoning by adding chili jam to suit their personal taste.
c1908 Fermented rice noodles and golden coconut chicken sauce with an Indian flair (ขนมจีนแขก หรือ ไก่ต้มขนมจีน ; khanohm jeen khaaek)
Optional: thicken the chili jam with roasted and ground yellow-hulled mung beans.
Re-season the chili jam using fish sauce, palm sugar, tamarind paste, lime juice and bitter orange juice to a sour-salty-sweet flavor profile according to the ratios indicated.
Prepare the toppings:
Prepare crispy fried shallots as described here, or alternatively use coconut cream cooked into fat (น้ำมันขี้โล้; khee lo:h) to fry the shallots instead of oil or pork lard.
Cut the spring onions into fine, thin slices, using both the white and green parts.
Pick young coriander leaves and soak them in cold water to freshen them.
How to serve the dish:
Place a portion of the fermented rice noodles in a serving bowl.
Using a ladle, pour the chicken coconut broth over the noodles.
Drizzle chili jam on top.
Garnish with spring onions, coriander leaves and crispy fried shallots.
Optional: serve with batter-fried leaves or vegetables.
Keyword fermented rice noodles (ขนมจีน)
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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.
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.
A popular noodle dish originating from the Northern region of the Kingdom, khanohm jeen naam ngiaao (ขนมจีนน้ำเงี้ยว) is characterized by its light – yet profound – multi-layered broth. This hearty broth includes an assortment of proteins braised with the dried pollens of cotton tree flowers, and Northern Thai sour cherry tomatoes (มะเขือส้ม); the tomatoes infuse the broth with a subtle tartness that refreshes a full-bodied profile comprising a multitude of fermented ingredients.
The naam ngiaao broth is served over fermented rice noodles and features minced pork, and braised baby back pork ribs with their tender meat clinging to the bone. As well, there are succulent, slow-cooked whole chicken feet, and cubes of slightly bouncy, mauve-hued chicken blood cakes. Served alongside the soup are various toppings, which can include shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, chopped coriander leaves, and spring onions, while dark red chili oil and glossy, charred-fried dried bird’s eye chilies offer a fiery intensity dialed up to your preferred spiciness. In addition, I like to add wok-smoked sour cherry tomatoes and broom-like, crispy-fried dried cotton tree pollen for a surprising textural contrast.
Though the dish is often described as “Shan style”, the word ‘ngiao’ was a derogatory expression for the Shan people. As the disparaging – and outdated – label suggests, the recipe might reflect societal biases and prejudices; thus, at least from the culinary perspective, the ‘ngiao’ in the name of the dish may simply be a nod to the flavors or ingredients favored by The Shan, rather than a claim of authenticity – which could also explain why the dish is based on a Siamese curry paste.
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