Dining and Cooking
Chefs’ Collections

Coconut Noodles

This noodle recipe comes from Ma Thanegi, a Burmese writer in Yangon, Myanmar, who called it a dish ”so easy, the worst cook in the world could make it.”

Ingredients

  • ½ pound chicken, boned, skinned and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • Sea salt
  • ¼ cup peanut oil
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 20 1-inch cubes fish cake, deep-fried
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup roasted chickpea flour
  • ⅔ cup coconut milk
  • 13 peeled shallot lobes, one of them finely sliced and soaked in water
  • ¾ pound boiled spaghetti-size egg noodles
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • Handful of deep-fried rice noodles
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • Red chilies, roasted in a pan and then coarsely ground
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      1693 calories; 92 grams fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 35 grams monounsaturated fat; 23 grams polyunsaturated fat; 121 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 93 grams protein; 627 milligrams cholesterol; 3134 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

serves 4

Preparation

  1. Knead the chicken with the fish sauce and a pinch of salt and let rest for 10 minutes.
  2. Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil and turmeric. Scrape in the onions and sauté for a minute. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Stir in the paprika, then the chicken, cooking until the chicken is blanched on the outside. Fold in the fish cakes and 1/2 cup water and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.
  3. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Dissolve the chickpea flour in 1/2 cup water and pour into the broth, stirring until the mixture thickens slightly. Add the chicken to the broth, and stir in the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Add the shallot lobes and simmer until just cooked through. Season to taste.
  4. To serve, place a handful of noodles in each of 4 deep bowls and ladle on a generous amount of chicken and broth. Garnish with sliced (drained) shallot, hard-boiled egg, scallions and fried noodles. Serve, passing lime wedges and roasted chilies.

20 minutes

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