Children's Day Recipe: Khow Suey Rice Noodle Soup

Children love noodles. Don't we know that!

For Children's Day why not give it to them in a healthy form -- in soup!

If they have not sampled Khow Suey before, they will love this rich, aromatic Burmese-inspired noodle soup, which is basically a warm, flavourful curry paired with soft noodles, perfect for any occasion by Chef Sneha Singhi.

She adds: "Khow suey is all about the perfect balance of flavours -- spicy, creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet."

But Chef Singhi makes the soup more nutritious by swapping maida noodles for gluten-free rice ones and adds in plenty of healthy veggies in a palatable manner to make "it an ideal meal for the little munchkins". The coconut milk makes the soup creamy, without adding an ingredient as heavy as cream.

Chef Singhi trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. She is an Internet personality with 1.1 million followers on Instagram and started up Cobo and OG By The Lake in Kolkata. She works with different food brands.

Healthy Khow Suey

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

For the green paste:

• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1-inch piece ginger
• 5 pods garlic
• 3 dried red chillies
• Handful fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro
• 3 green chillies
• 10 cashews
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 tbsp khus khus or poppy seeds
• ½ cup water, add more if needed

For the curry:

• 1 tbsp oil (I prefer coconut oil for its natural flavour)
• 1 tej patta or bay leaf
• 1 stalk lemongrass, pounded
• 1 tsp brown dhania or coriander powder
• ½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
• 1 tsp jeera or cumin powder
• 1 cup chopped mixed vegetables like carrots, mushrooms, red and yellow bell peppers or Shimla mirch
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1½ cups water
• Salt to taste, about 1½ tsp
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch sugar
• 150 gm rice noodles, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes

For the garnishing

• Fresh coriander leaves
• Spring onion greens, chopped
• Deep-fried onions (birasta)
• Fried garlic
• Crushed peanuts

Method

For the paste:

• In a bowl, blend all the ingredients for the paste into a smooth mixture.
  Pour into a blender/mixer and blitz until a creamy, thick paste.
  Keep aside.

For the curry:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
  Add the bay leaf and the freshly-prepared curry paste.
  Sauté this mixture until it starts to release a lovely fragrance and no longer sticks to the pan, around 5 minutes.
  This step really helps to bring out the flavours in the paste.
  Now, add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, sugar.
  Mix.
  Add in the chopped vegetables and cook for about 2-3 minutes until slightly tender but still crisp.
  Next, pour in the coconut milk and the 1½ cups water.
  Bring to a gentle boil.
  Once it starts to bubble, add in the lemongrass stalk, lower the heat and let the curry simmer for another 5 minutes.
  Take off heat and stir in the lemon juice and then add the soft, soaked rice noodles.
  Gently mix the noodles into the curry allowing it to absorb all the flavours.
• Top the Khow Suey with the coriander leaves, spring onion greens, crispy fried onions, garlic, and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts for crunch.
  The garnish adds layers of texture and flavour and are an important component.
• Serve hot.

Chef Singhi's Note: This soup is customisable and you can adjust the level of spice and flavours depending on your children's taste preferences. Add more green and red chillies for heat or reduce. Adjust the amount of sugar for a balance of sweetness.

Chef Sneha Singhi Upadhay, a Stahl chef, lives in Kolkata and runs the Sneh Foundation for animals.

• REDIFF FOOD