the History of Khao Soi

the BEST but NEVER heard of it?

We're currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the beautiful Northern mountainous region. And, we've been eating Khao Soi ( ข้าวซอย), an upmost delicious curry noodle soup with an iconic fried egg noodle garnish. Upon consuming this dish on a number of occasion we became inspired to create this channel, and this video; to share the rich history surrounding Khao Soi... and more food to come...

Have you ever eaten a dish and wondered where it came from? Here at Food For Thought we're going to do all the hard work for you, so you can sit back and relax and enjoy the show.
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00:14 - Introduction to Kao Soi

What is Khao Soi? What makes up this delicious bowl of noodles?

The most important part of the dish is the chilli paste — a standard recipe would include
chilis, ginger, turmeric, shallots, toasted coriander seeds, black cardamom; crushed and grinned into a fine paste.

The soup is created by frying the chilis paste, cooking the chicken in the same pan, and adding the coconut milk. When ready to serve, separately cooked noodles are added into this curried chicken, coconut soup mixture.

Then the dish is then topped with an array of condiments: crispy egg noodles, cilantro or green onions, lime, chopped shallots, picked mustard green and more chilli either in paste of flake form.

But, what is the back story of this delicious bowl of noodles? And how did it gain its status in Northern Thai? Let’s find out!

01:01 - History of Khao Soi

The name Khao Soi has come to mean ‘cut rice’. But it seems to be a mutation of the Burmese word ‘Khao Swe”, which translates to simply noodles! (link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohn_no_....

By digging a little bit into its history, this dish actually originates from the ‘Chin Haw’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chin_Haw). This term describes any Chinese migrants who first came Burma (or Laos), and then in settled Northern Thailand.

Furthermore, many of these ‘Chin Hos’ were the ‘Hui’ people of Southern China (link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hui_peo..., in the Province of Yunnan. The Hui people are one of the 53 ethnic minority groups in China, with their own unique cultures, traditions, and religions. Notably, most Hui people are Muslims!

The ’Hui’ people left China en mass because of the Panthay Rebellion. This is an event that took place in the late 19th century (during the Qing Dynasty).

The Chinese Muslim (aka. the ‘Hui’ people) revolted against their Manchu rulers because of alienation and discrimination against them. When the Panthay Rebellion ended it left in its wake over a million deaths, soldiers and civilians alike. Many Hui fled the imperial grasp of the Manchus and migrated to Burma and Laos… and eventually, Northern Thailand.

02:16 - The Great Reveal of Khao Soi

Therefore, Khao Soi appears to be a dish brought in by the Chinese Muslims who make up a large part of the ‘Chin Hos’ as a whole. And, this dish is even sometimes referred to as Islamic Khao Soi. This is why Khao Soi is traditionally served with either beef or chicken. No pork sorry…

Although variations of Khao Soi exists with pork in other parts of Thailand, Burma and Laos. The dishes origins are deeply rooted in the migration of the Hui from Yunnann who adhered in the Halal diet.

However, when exactly was this dish invented? Did the Hui people bring this dish with them when they left Burma, considering the similarities between Khao Soi and Khao Swe…

Or, did this dish come from Yunnan itself?

Or, perhaps somewhere in between… in the jungle, along one of the many ancient trade routes?

So, today this bowl of noodles sitting in front of us, embodies the history of the people who have fought and struggled, until they have finally settled to where we are today.

This dish demonstrates how food evolves over cultures and time. It represents how Thailand’s cuisine is intertwined with its neighboring countries.
Final scene:

03:22 - Food For Thought!!

So, here’s my food for thought: Where do we draw the line for regional cuisine? Who gets to claim a dish and what makes it authentic?