Burmese Chicken-Coconut Soup (Ohn No Kyawswe)

4.5
(19)

My beautiful wife is Burmese. Her grandmother made this delicious Burmese coconut noodle soup for me and I have been hooked ever since. I was inspired and feeling adventurous one day and decided to make it myself. Not as good as Grandma's, but it works when she is not around.

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Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Servings:
5
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Ingredients

  • ½ onion, chopped

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • ¼ cup water

  • 1 (16 ounce) package rice noodles

  • 1 quart lukewarm water, or as needed to cover

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 3 cups chicken broth, divided

  • 2 tablespoons chickpea flour

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 ½ onions, halved and thinly sliced

  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • 2 teaspoons paprika

  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 cup coconut milk

For Garnish:

  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

  • 4 green onions, sliced on the bias, green and white parts

  • 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

  • 1 dash fish sauce, or to taste (Optional)

  • 1 cup crispy fried rice noodles (Optional)

  • 1 pinch curry powder, or to taste (Optional)

Directions

  1. Place 1/2 chopped onion, ginger, garlic, and 1/4 cup water into a blender and purée until smooth. Soak rice noodles in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 30 minutes.

  2. Season chicken thigh meat lightly with salt and black pepper in a bowl and set aside. In a separate small bowl, whisk 1 cup of chicken broth into the chickpea flour. Reserve remaining 2 cups chicken broth for a later step.

  3. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 1/2 sliced onions to the pan. Cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking and stirring until onion is very tender and dark brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Stir in turmeric, paprika, and cayenne pepper.

  4. In a medium stockpot, combine cooked chicken and any juices that have accumulated, browned onions, onion, and ginger purée, and remaining 2 cups of chicken broth. Carefully add chickpea flour and broth mixture, stirring quickly so that flour doesn't clump.

  5. Bring the pot to a boil; reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

  6. Stir in coconut milk and cook just until heated through. Divide soaked rice noodles among 5 large soup bowls. Ladle soup over rice noodles in the bowls and garnish each bowl with lemon wedges, green onions, hard-cooked eggs, cilantro, fish sauce, fried noodles, and curry powder.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

712 Calories
25g Fat
98g Carbs
25g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 5
Calories 712
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 25g 32%
Saturated Fat 12g 60%
Cholesterol 143mg 48%
Sodium 842mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 98g 36%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 25g 50%
Vitamin C 31mg 34%
Calcium 106mg 8%
Iron 5mg 26%
Potassium 555mg 12%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.