Burmese Coconut Noodles (Ohn No Khao Swe) — Bagan, Myanmar/Burma
Ohn No Khao Swe (အုန်းနို့ခေါက်ဆွဲ in Burmese) literally means “Coconut Milk Noodles”. It’s a classic Burmese dish full of rich, flavorful ingredients. When I made this dish while I was living in Myanmar with my husband, my kitchen was very limited (ahem, it was a hot plate on a countertop, plus a rice cooker and a cutting board), so this recipe took me a little longer than it would have if I had been cooking in my normal kitchen! This entire dish from beginning to end will take about 1 hour to make and serve.
Ohn no khao swe is a filling dish, so serve yourself lightly at first. In Myanmar, it’s traditional for the entire family to eat around a grouping of dishes, and for each family member to serve themselves as they see fit. This way, each member of the family can eat as much or as little as they’d like of each dish. Oftentimes, the family will be served a wide variety of dishes at each meal, consisting (usually, and at the very least) of a curry or a dish like ohn no khao swe, a salad, another side dish like creamed corn or boiled eggs, and a refreshing dish of lightly steamed, lightly vinegared vegetables intended to freshen the palate. While the family waits for the meal, fruits or tea leaf salad may be served as well.
Ohn no khao swe is a more popular dish at tea houses or street food stops, alongside the ever-popular, famous mohinga dish!
Ingredients
- 1 large shallot/ 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Kikkoman Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp fresh, unrefined peanut oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp turmeric/curry powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut cream
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 3 cups distilled, purified water
- 1 pack thin egg noodles
- 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced or halved
- 1 small fresh onions, sliced
- 1 lime, quarters
Instructions
- Boil 3 eggs. Keep the altitude in mind, it's important they're hard boiled and not soft boiled.
- Cut the lime into quarters.
- Slice onions and rinse them with purified water twice, and serve immediately.
- Start by heating the curry powder and peanut oil on a medium heat in a medium size pot.
- When the oil is good and hot, add in the onions, chilies, and garlic, and let them saute for 1 minute. Then add the soy sauce, salt, chili powder, black pepper, and garam masala, and again let it saute for about 2-3 minutes this time.
- Add the water and coconut cream, and stir. Let the mixture heat until boiling, then allow to boil for approximately 5 minutes.
- Prepare the cornstarch with a bit of purified water, then pour the cornstarch into the soup and stir continuously.
- When the thickening appears to stop (about 30 seconds), the soup should still be fairly thin and it's time to add the egg noodles. Let the egg noodles boil for 5 minutes, then remove the mix from the heat.
- These coconut noodles are best served hot with hard boiled egg, fresh onion, and lime.