Khao soi (ข้าวซอย) is a Thai noodle dish that has origins in Burma. The basic part of the dish begins with a bowl of yellow egg noodles that are blanched and then combined with the all important curry gravy sauce which is made from coconut milk with a blend of dry spices. It’s often nutty in flavor, slightly sweet, and flavorful from the dry spices. There are many different version of khao soi (ข้าวซอย), and some tend to be more spicy and flavorful, while other are more sweet and nutty – I prefer the former. So when I was searching for the best khao soi (ข้าวซอย) in Chiang Mai, I came across Khao Soi Khun Yai (ข้าวซอยคุณยาย) in a Travelfish article (http://www.travelfish.org/eatandmeet_profile/thailand/northern_thailand/chiang_mai/chiang_mai/1904) and decided to give it a try. Khao Soi Khun Yai (ข้าวซอยคุณยาย) in Thai means Grandmother’s khao soi, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience dining on food from grandmother, so I was pretty excited to give it a try.
As soon as I walked into the open air restaurant, I knew it was going to be my style. The restaurant was sort of street food style, but housed on the peaceful compound of the temple, away from the road, so it a nice and relaxing shaded place – a perfect environment for a perfect bowl of noodles. At Khao Soi Khun Yai (ข้าวซอยคุณยาย) they serve both khao soi (ข้าวซอย) and also kuay teow tom yam (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำเส้นเล็ก), the popular version of Thai noodles in a sweet and sour tom yum broth. My wife actually order the tom yum noodles, and they were also wonderful, but I was more interested in tasting their khao soi.
They normally have two different version, chicken and beef. So rather than having to make a hard decision, I decided to go for both – which I would highly recommend you do too – no need to make a decision. As soon as my bowls of khao soi (ข้าวซอย) were ready, they were delivered to our table, and I immediately loved the color of the broth, which was nice and dark red in color. Some bowl of khao soi, the broth is light and doesn’t look all that flavorful. This was dark and red and you could just see all the spices and glorious flavors within it. I first tasted the broth, and then I went ahead and dumped in the rest of the condiments, mostly the roasted chili flakes to add some extra heat to it. The khao soi (ข้าวซอย) was incredibly good. The broth, or curry sauce was creamy and tasty, yet it wasn’t too rich or sweet like it can sometimes be. It had a nice flavor blend of spices, and it was just balanced out perfection. The extra hit of roasted chili flakes added another wonderful dimension of flavor to my bowl of khao soi noodles. Along with any bowl of khao soi, you’ll also be served some pickled mustard greens and slices of red onions on the side.
I havne’t come close to trying every bowl of khao soi (ข้าวซอย) available in Chiang Mai, but out of the bowls of the dish that I’ve tried so far, I can say quite confidently Khao Soi Khun Yai (ข้าวซอยคุณยาย), serves the best khao soi I’ve ever had in Chiang Mai. If you love this Thai dish and are looking for an authentic, spiced to perfection version, you must include this wonderful restaurant on your itinerary.
Open hours: 10 am — 2 pm daily (closed on Sunday)
Address: It’s located just in front of Wat Kuan Kama Temple, Sri Poom Road, Amphoe Mueang, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Prices: 30 — 35 THB per bowl
ที่อยู่ หน้าวัดควรค่าม้า ถนนศรีภูมิ อ.เมือง จ.เชียงใหม่
เปิด 10.00 — 14.00 น. ( หยุดทุกวันอาทิตย์ )
Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network
Are you interested in more Thai food? Check out my “Eating Thai Food Guide” for the serious Thai food lovers: http://www.eatingthaifood.com/eating-thai-food-guide/
Authentic Thai recipes: http://www.eatingthaifood.com/thai-recipes/
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