Khow-suey (Curried Chicken and Noodles in Coconut milk)

I wonder how many of you have heard of or tasted Khow Suey? Let me tell you, if you haven’t had a taste of this fabulous dish you are seriously missing out on some great flavors.
Khow suey is a Burmese dish made of chicken curry with coconut milk and noodles and served with a wide array of accompaniments. It is believed that this dish originated in Burma and came to East India with Indians who migrated during the World war II. 
I first had a taste of Khow-suey years back at a friends house and instantly fell in love with it. What I love about this dish is that it is essentially a no fuss, one pot meal, filled with tons of flavor. Warm and hearty, it is just what the doctor would order to warm your insides in this cold weather and guaranteed to blast your winter blues away in a jiffy. 
Served with an array of delicious garnishes like crispy fried noodles, crispy burnt garlic, red pepper flakes, boiled noodles, crushed peanuts, caramelized onions, slices of hard boiled eggs, chives and wedges of lemons on the sides add to the glamour quotient of the dish. The way to have it is to add in a little bit of all the garnishes, top it with the chicken coconut curry and then squeeze a bit of lemon and lap it all up. The whole dish comes together in an explosion of flavors. 
Though the ingredients are really simple,it does take a little time to get them all ready but the end result is so great it is well worth the effort. The ingredients are easily available in the Asian section of any supermarket. Some of you might find the smell of fish sauce a bit too strong but I feel it is an essential addition to the dish as it is what gives the dish an authentic taste. But if you are strongly averse to the smell and taste avoid it by all means.
It is also a fun dish to make for your family or when you have friends over where everyone can enjoy adding up the ingredients and adjusting the seasonings according to their preference.

Go ahead and try it out and fall in love with this dish just as I did.

Serves 5-6

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

To boil the Noodles

2 cups Noodles

2-3 cloves crushed garlic

salt

For the Chicken Gravy

11/2  pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 small onions, chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

½  tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

 6 cups chicken broth

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

3 tbsp. fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)

3 Tbsp Gram flour, soaked in 1/4 cup water for 10 minutes  (can be found in Indian market but can be omitted if not easily available)

1 cup fresh coriander, chopped

Dried red chilli flakes

Salt to taste

Lemon wedges

For the Garnish

4-5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

¼ cup chopped and fried garlic

2 cups boiled egg noodles

 ¼ cup fried onions

½ cup chopped coriander leaves

1 cup fried noodles

¼ cup crushed peanuts

¼ cup chives, chopped

Red pepper flakes

2 lemons cut into wedges

 Method

Boil the water as required for the noodles with salt and garlic. Add in the noodles and boil till al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. Keep aside.

Cut the chicken into 11/2 inch cubes.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the onion, ginger and garlic paste over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric and paprika and continue to stir fry.

Add the chicken, fish sauce and salt. Stir fry the mixture for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken broth to the chicken and bring to a boil over moderate heat.

Add the gram flour liquid and cook for 20 minutes, stirring continuously.

The gravy will begin to thicken.

Add the coconut milk and fish sauce and cook for 10 minutes more stirring continuously.

Turn the heat off.

For each serving fill the soup bowls with ingredients in this order:

11/2 cup egg noodles

1 tbsp onion slices

Hard cooked egg slices

1 cup hot chicken curry

2 tbsp crispy noodles

Crispy fried garlic

Crushed peanuts

2 tsp fresh coriander

2 tsp green onions

Chilli flakes to taste

Lemon wedges to squeeze over all.

I would highly recommend using all the garnish ingredients.

Chicken stew with vegetables

Warm up your cold winter evenings with this delicious hot steaming bowl of chicken stew. This stew is full of not only chicken pieces but also carrots, potatoes, beans, cauliflower and a smattering of herbs and spices.Add a cupful of macaroni to the stew and you have a complete meal in itself which is not only wholesome but also healthy.


Ingredients
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 
1/4 cup cauliflower
2 carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces 
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup beans, cut into 2" sized pieces
2 onions, thickly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomato, chopped into big chunks
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups boiled macaroni
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup white sauce


Method

Combine all the vegetables together with the chicken stock and boil till the vegetables are just about tender. ( Be careful not to over boil them - they should be nice and crunchy).
Add the white sauce and dried thyme to the chicken broth and vegetables.
Boil the chicken breast separately and add to the broth.
Add the boiled macaroni.
Simmer and cook for about 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Check the seasonings.
If you want a thicker stew, brown about a tbsp of flour in butter and add to the simmering stew and boil for a few minutes till you get the desired consistency.
(For a healthier option, substitute the butter with olive oil and the flour with whole wheat flour.)
Ladle into serving bowls and serve hot with bread.