Lao Khao Poon Traditional Recipe
Khao Poon is a traditional Laotian coconut curry soup made with vermicelli noodles. The soup features chicken and chicken broth, vermicelli rice noodles, coconut milk, and red curry paste, which gives it a vibrant reddish-orange color.
Ingredients
Broth
- Water – 10 cups
- Chicken breast – 3 lbs
- Paprika – 1 tbsp
- Galanga, 2-inch piece – 1
- Lemon grass, smashed – 2 stalks
- Canola oil – 2 tbsp
- Galanga, minced – 3 tbsp
- Shallots, minced- ½ cup
- Lime leaves or kaffir leaves – 1 bunch
- Garlic, minced – 6 cloves
- Red curry paste – 4 oz
- Coconut milk – 28 Oz
- Chicken broth – 40 Oz
- Vermicelli noodles, cooked al dente - 1 Pack
Toppings
- Bean sprouts – 2 cups
- Green cabbage, thinly shredded – 1
- Lettuce, shredded- 1 bunch
- Green onion, chopped – 1 bunch
- Cilantro, chopped – 1 bundle
- Lime, wedged – 1
- Fresh mint – 1/2 Cup
- Thai chilis - 4
Instructions
Chicken Broth and Chicken
- In a large pot, boil the 10 cups of water and chicken broth.
- Add the chicken, piece of galangal, a few limes leaves and smashed lemon grass.
- Simmer the chicken uncovered for 30 minutes, skimming off any foam or residue at the top of the broth.
- Remove the chicken from the pot, but reserve the broth by setting the pot to the side.
- After the chicken completely cools, remove the skin and discard.
- Shred or pound the chicken. Set aside.
Coconut and Curry Base
- Heat up canola oil on medium-high for 30 seconds
- Add the minced shallot, minced galangal, mincedgarlic, minced lemon leaves and paprika until it smells fragrant (around 1 minute).
- Add in the curry paste, coconut milk, stirring continuously until it is well blended.
- Add the chicken in and stir again until well blended.
- Pour all the reserved broth it into the coconut curry base and simmer for 30 minutes and season to taste.
Noodles
- In a pot bring to boil enough water to cover the noodles, about 4 inches.
- Once boiling add the noodles and stir.
- When the water comes back to a boil, remove the pot from heat. Drain the hot water and replace with cold water to keep the noodles separate.
- Take one or two handful of noodles, wrap it around your hand to make a rounded noodle bundle. Squeeze out the excess water, and lay the bundle in a bowl.
- Cover with moist paper towels to prevent them from drying out. Repeat for each bowl you will serve.
- Ladle enough broth to cover the noodles.
- On top of the noodle and broth, add the toppings and condiments.
- Squeeze some lime juice in and add chilli peppers to your level of desired heat. (Removing the pepper seeds will decrease the spiciness)
Nutrition
Calories: 831kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 81gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 199mgSodium: 1485mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7g
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