Kao Soi Chiang Mai

This is a Chiang Mai dish, Chiang Mai is one of the northern Thailand provinces. You'll likely have to travel there to eat this, it's not normally served in the south, at least not so much in Bangkok. Straw mushrooms are better tasting fresh, here you can only get them canned. Red sugar is also known as Chinese brown sugar, and can be found in all Chinese supermarkets, usually in squares. Preserved green mustard can also be found in most Chinese supermarkets. This is an odd dish, for North Americans, I would say, as the noodles are fried, rather than boiled, making them crunchy, but the sauce that is made and ladled over softens them up before eating them. Like a lot of noodle dishes in Thailand, the appearance is important, the garnishes are sprinkled on top to make the dish look appealing. Delicious!

Kao Soi Chiang Mai
300 g chicken, sliced into bite-sized chunks
1 cup straw mushroom
1/4 cup chili paste (see below for recipe)
1 Tbsp curry powder
2-3 star anise
2 Tbsp red sugar
2 Tbsp light soya sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2-3 Tbsp oil
3-4 fresh flat egg noodle bundles
sliced spring onion, cilantro, shallot, perserved green mustard as desired

Unfold egg noodle, shake off white flour from the noodle. Then fry the noodle on medium high heat until crispy yellow. Set aside.

Stir fry the chili paste with oil until fragrant, then add chicken. Once the chicken is almost done, add straw mushroom and curry powder.

Season with red sugar and light soya sauce. Mix all ingredients together, then add star anise. Add coconut milk and water, simmer them until boiling.

Ladle the curry on the fried crispy noodle as prepared earlier. Sprinkle on top with sliced spring onion, cilantro, shallot and perserved green mustard.

Chili paste
5 Dried Chile Spur Pepper, soaked and cut
6 shallots, chopped
1-1/2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp salt

Grind all the ingredients together to obtain about 1/4 cup of chili paste.