Khao soi nam naa ข้าวซอยน้ำหน้า

Did you know there are many types of khao soi? I'd like to introduce you to khao soi nam naa, a far cry from what may spring to mind when you think of khao soi.

I recently posted about this on my instagram and, due to the high number of bookmarks, I decided to share a recipe. A search for khao soi nam naa yields few helpful results, let alone a search for a vegan version. Search results in Thai also also on the limited side. For other (nonvegan) written nam naa recipes in English you can purchase Pok Pok Noodles by Andy Ricker or The Food of Northern Thailand by Austin Bush.

Any reference to khao soi typically accelerates the imagination of the listener (or reader) toward imagery of the renowned Thai coconut curry noodle soup. This is the version of khao soi most exported, both globally and to other regions in Thailand, so it's unsurprising this is what people expect when they hear the words khao soi.

What is khao soi nam naa?

Khao soi nam naa is, which you may also see penned as khao soi nam kua (according to this nonvegan restaurant review, they are synonymic), is not the same as the curry noodle soup every foreigner in Thailand ostensibly guzzles by the gallon.

The soup base does not include coconut milk, which means a lot of white people probably tantrum over it, and a seasoning agent comprised of shallot, garlic, tomatoes, chillies, tua nao (natto) and faux pork imparts additional flavour and texture. This agent is sort of like what tare is to ramen; without it you've got a decent (at best) but bland stock with some noodles in, but add this relish and suddenly the dish is remade into something craveworthy (not the Canadian streaming service, silly).

The word "gati" translates to coconut milk, so in areas where this version of khao soi is the norm you might hear locals refer to the more well known version of khao soi as "khao soi gati."

You can buy khao soi nam naa in Lampang, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Phayao, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and some other provinces as well. This dish is popular with Tai Lue and Tai Yai people, so it's available in provinces with higher population densities of these ethnic groups.

Khao soi nam naa is typically not vegan. There is a vegetarian Shan (Tai Yai) restaurant in Chiang Mai called Pa Yod, however, where you can try a vegan version.

Ingredients

As with many other Thai dishes, especially noodle soups, the ingredients and process may feel overwhelming. Rather than creating one dish all at once, you're making individual components that will be used to put together the final dish quickly. This means you can make some things in advance, so you don't need to worry about everything at once, and you'll have bits in the fridge to assemble the noodle bowls quickly when it comes to mealtimes.

There are 3 main parts to this recipe: the stock, the stuff you boil in water, and the topping (the nam naa bit). Make the topping in advance and it will keep for quite awhile in the fridge. Similarly, you can make the stock a day or three in advance.

Substitutions and variations

I appreciate there is a fine line between authenticity and practicality, and sometimes I use ingredients that are not readily accessible to everyone. Even if you are able to source these items, some folks may lack time and/or energy. And of course this impacts what we might be willing to put into our cooking regimen.

So here's an explanation of some lesser known ingredients used in my vegan khao soi nam naa recipe and some ideas for subtitutions.

• Tua nao is effectively fresh natto. You can buy this in Japanese grocers. In Northern Thailand tua nao comes in two variaties: fresh and dried. The latter is formed into small discs and sundried (see above photo). To use, grill over a BBQ or toast them with a flame (your gas hob will do) and then pound them into a powder. You can find the dried version of tua nao (sometimes already powdered) in some Thai supermarkets in the UK, but not always reliably. I use fresh homemade natto in my recipe, but you can also use dried powdered tua nao if you can find it. Should you go this route, just add a tablespoon or 3 to the faux pork mince when you add the tomatoes. If you are unable to find either you can add some dark miso, but keep in mind there is added salt in miso and not in natto/tua nao, so you'll need to adjust for this.
• Omnipork is a vegan pork mince that isn't available everywhere. You can substitute this with another type of mince. Prior to Omnipork landing on the market, I used rehydrated TVP mince to make nam naa.
• Thai black soy sauce is different to Chinese dark soy sauce. The Thai version is quite molasses-like in flavour and not as salty as the Chinese variety. I would leave it out altogether if you can't find the Thai variety. Here is a post on Thai soy and seasoning sauces for more information.
• Homemade stock makes a difference in noodle soups, but it's 2023 and maybe you have a murder of kids, work, health drama, and/or a preference for spending your time rewatching Riverdale instead of cooking. If you can't find the resolve or patience to make stock, just use a low sodium stock powder. If you go this route, however, my suggestion is to use the mushroom seasoning powder you can buy in just about any East Asian grocer.
• Preserved salted radish is a soup stock ingredient I favour just because it can be stored in a box on the shelf and it keeps for ages (you'll notice most of the ingredients in my stock are ambient). You can buy this at a Chinese grocer, but you can also just slice some daikon thinly and use this for the stock instead. If you use fresh daikon you'll need to adjust for salt, but don't worry too much about this since diners can add additional soy sauce at the table to meet their preference for salt levels.
• MSG is perfectly safe and its poor reputation is rooted in anti Chinese racism. You can find it easily at East Asian markets or you can substitute with the aforementioned mushroom seasoning powder. You can omit it if you don't have any.
• Coriander root is a common ingredient in Thai cooking, but since it's harder to come by outside of Thailand I use coriander stems.

I didn't include any additional vegetables in the soup because I'm conscious there are already a lot of steps and the recipe may already feel unwieldy to some. If you'd like to include some additional veggies, here are some suggestions. Choose one or 2 of the following: snow pea leaves (pak tua lan tao in Thai or pak tua noi in Northern dialiect), long beans (or green beans) cut into 2 inch/5cm pieces, and/or thinly shredded cabbage. The only one of these that requires cooking are the long beans. It's optional to cook the snow pea leaves and typically the shredded cabbage would be added raw.

Equipment

The easiest way to cook noodle soups is to have as big a pot of boiling water as you can manage as well as a noodle basket. Or multiple noodle baskets.

Noodle baskets allow you to portion out single servings and cook them tidily and quickly. The noodles cook in just 20-30 seconds, so you can still easily make multiple servings this way.

If you don't have a noodle basket, I provide alternative instructions in the recipe.

Storage

If you make the pork/natto/chilli mixture in advance, obviously you should keep it in the fridge. When you plan to use it, take however many portions you need out of the fridge in advance to come to room temperature. If it's cold, the temperature of the soup will decrease substantially upon serving.

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Vegan khao soi nam naa (ข้าวซอยน้ำหน้า) | khao soi nam kua (น้ำคั่ว)

Khao soi nam naa differs hugely from the coconut curry noodles most people know as khao soi. This version is comprised of a clear broth with rice noodles, topped with a faux pork and natto ragù seasoning.

Cuisine: Thai

Equipment

• Noodle basket(s) optional
• Pestle and mortar

Ingredients

Stock

• 1 ½ litres water
• 15 grams dried shiitake mushrooms 2-3 large pieces
• 20 grams preserved salted radish
• 20 grams coriander roots or stems about ¼ cup
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Nam naa

• 5-10 grams dried chillies deseeded (you can use less if you don’t want it too spicy, or use part paprika)
• 30 grams fresh natto approximately 2 heaped tablespoons
• ¼ teaspoons salt
• 12 grams roughly chopped garlic 1 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander stems
• 20 grams shallot, sliced approximately ¼ cup
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 125 grams omnipork ½ cup + 1 tablespoon
• ¼ teaspoon MSG
• 75 grams finely chopped baby plum or cherry tomatoes

Bowl (per serving)

• 250-300 millilitres stock 1-1 ¼ cups
• 80 grams dried wide rice noodles
• Tiny dash Thai black soy sauce SEE NOTES
• 1 teaspoon Thai thin soy sauce SEE NOTES
• 1-3 teaspoons fried garlic in garlic oil SEE NOTES
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped spring onion
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped coriander
• Handful bean sprouts
• Condiments for personal seasoning chilli vinegar, toasted chilli powder, soy sauce, sugar (SEE NOTES)

Instructions

Make the stock.

• Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan large enough to hold them. Bring to the boil and then knock back the heat to a low simmer (where it looks like hardly anything is happening in the pot – minimal bubbles). Cover with a lid and cook for around 45 minutes. Strain the solid bits away (if you can, squeeze the liquid from the mushrooms back into the stock). Pour the clear stock back into the saucepan and keep hot for serving. If you don’t plan to use the stock immediately, allow it to cool down before refrigeration.

Make the seasoning/topping

• Soak the chillies in just boiled water for at least 30 minutes, until soft. Strain.
• Pound the natto into a smooth paste using a pestle and mortar, or just roughly mash it with a fork if you can’t be arsed. Remove and set aside.
• Combine the salt with the softened chillies in a mortar. Pound with a pestle until broken down into a smooth paste. This will take at least a few minutes. Add the garlic and coriander stems. Pound roughly (the garlic and coriander stems don’t need to be completely smooth like the chillies).
• Heat the oil to a medium-low heat in a wok or large pan. Add pounded chilli paste and shallots. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft and fragrant.
• Reduce the heat to low (use the lowest heat possible on the smallest burner) and add the pounded tua nao, omnipork, and MSG. Simmer, stirring frequently to break up large pieces of the mince, for 10-15 minutes.
• Once you see some oil rising to the surface, add the chopped tomatoes. Cook down for another 10-15 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a thick, oily paste. Continue stirring from time to time during this process. When finished, the mixture should not be watery. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Prepare the noodles and boiled bits.

• Soak the rice noodles in warm water for 30 minutes until floppy.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil on high heat. Heat the stock in a separate saucepan.
• If you have a noodle basket, it’s best to cook things one serving at a time. Add one portion of soaked rice noodles and a handful of bean sprouts to the basket. Submerge in the boiling water. If the water doesn’t cover the basket entirely, you can use chopsticks to agitate the contents to ensure even cooking. After 20-30 seconds, remove the basket and shake away excess water. Tip the contents into the bowl(s) you're going to eat from.
• If you don’t have a noodle basket, it’s easier to cook everything at once. Measure out the number of servings worth of rice noodles and bean sprouts and add them to the boiling water. Agitate the contents of the pot with chopsticks while cooking. After 20-30 seconds, use a colander to drain the noodles and bean sprouts. Portion up into bowls.

To serve.

• To each serving bowl (the bowl you put the cooked noodles into) add a tiny splash of black soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of Thai thin soy sauce. Scoop about ¼ cup worth of the nam naa on top of the noodles. Pour 250-300 millilitres of stock over the noodles (but not on the nam naa directly). Top with coriander, spring onion, and crispy garlic in garlic oil.
• Serve with the recommended condiments so diners can adjust the seasoning to their tastes.

Notes

For an explanation of Thai soy sauces, see the following post: Thai Soy Sauce and Seasoning Sauce Primer.

Here is how to make crispy fried garlic in garlic oil (gratiem jeow).

Regarding the condiments, chilli vinegar is easy to make and so is toasted chilli powder.

In order to avoid food waste, you can use the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms from the stock as you would other mushrooms. Another idea is to follow the steps in my Thai jok/congee recipe for the mushrooms.