🇲🇲 Myanmar · Shan State, eastern Myanmar
Shan khao swèShan noodle soup
A noodle dish of Shan State, Myanmar, served as a soup: rice noodles in a peppery chicken or pork broth, usually with a tomato-based sauce of minced meat or chicken, garnished with garlic oil, sesame, pickled mustard greens and peanuts.
Origin and history
Shan khao swe (Shan noodles) comes from Shan State in eastern Myanmar, which borders China, Thailand and Laos, and has spread to neighbouring regions including Yunnan in China and Chiang Mai in Thailand. It can be served as a soup or dry, and is eaten at breakfast but also at lunch, dinner or as a snack.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Total time
- 45 min
- Hands-on
- 35 min
Ingredients
- 500 g1.1 lb minced pork, or minced chicken
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 5 plum tomatoes, grated
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp roasted soybean powder, optional thickener; cornflour in a pinch
- 350 ml1 1/2 cups water, for the sauce
- 600 ml2 1/2 cups chicken stock, heated with plenty of pepper as the clear broth
- 250 g9 oz dried rice noodles, about 4 portions
- 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, lightly crushed
- garlic oil, toasted sesame, pickled mustard greens, scallion, coriander, chilli powder, to garnish, in small bowls
Method
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1. Heat the oil and fry the garlic until it just turns yellow, then add the onion and cook until soft.
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2. Add the pork and fry for 10 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains.
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3. Stir in the grated tomatoes, soy sauce, fish sauce, turmeric, paprika and sugar, with chilli powder if you want heat.
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4. Sprinkle in the soybean powder, stirring fast so it does not catch, pour in the water and simmer 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and red.
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5. Bring the stock to a simmer with ground black pepper, taste and salt.
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6. Cook the rice noodles separately by the packet instructions, drain, and divide among bowls.
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7. Spoon the tomato meat sauce over the noodles, pour on the hot peppery broth, and top with garlic oil, sesame, peanuts, scallion and coriander.
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8. Serve with pickled mustard greens and extra chilli on the side so each diner adjusts the bowl.
Notes
- In Shan State the soup version uses sticky rice noodles called san see, while the thin round yay sein noodles go with the dry (salad-style) version, which has a similar sauce. Ordinary dried rice noodles work as a substitute.
- Chicken can replace the pork: one account cooks chicken in the tomato sauce with garlic, soy sauce and chilli powder until the tomato is soft.
- One charity recipe from eastern Shan State mixes sauce and stock into a single tomato broth; this version keeps a clear, peppery broth with the sauce on top, as another account describes.
- Make ahead: the sauce keeps for days in the fridge; reheat and assemble per bowl.
Adapted from The Leprosy Mission, Global Recipe Club: Shan noodle soup, Myanmar and Go Myanmar Tours, Shan kauk swae (soup version, garnishes, origin).
At the festivals
No festival we list has printed it on a menu yet.