Nangyi Thoke

Ingredients

Noodles

• 600 gthick round rice noodles, fresh

Chicken curry

• 600 gchicken thighs, in pieces
• 3 tbspoil
• 2onions, blended to a paste
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 1thumb ginger, grated
• 2 tsppaprika
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspchilli powder
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 200 mlwater
• salt

Chickpea flour

• 80 ggram flour, for toasting

Chilli oil

• 150 mloil
• 3 tbspchilli flakes

To mix and top

• 4hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 1onion, very thinly sliced
• 150 gbean sprouts, blanched
• 3spring onions, sliced
• a handful of coriander
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 tbspfish sauce

To serve

• a bowl of clear chicken broth

Directions

1. Rinse them briefly in warm water to loosen them. Cold noodles snap, so warm them first. Drain them thoroughly and toss them with a little oil.
2. Heat a dry pan over a medium heat with no oil. Add the gram flour and stir it constantly. Toast it for about six minutes until a shade darker and nutty. It burns within seconds if you stop stirring. Tip it onto a cold plate immediately to stop it cooking. Let it cool completely before using. Making the chilli oil is done ahead.
3. Put the chilli flakes in a heatproof bowl. Heat the oil until it shimmers, at about 180C. Pour it over the flakes in two or three stages. Let it cool and settle for at least an hour. Blend the onions to a smooth paste.
4. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the onion paste and cook it for twelve minutes. Cook it until it darkens and the oil begins to separate. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for two minutes. Stir in the paprika, turmeric and chilli powder. Fry the spices for a full minute. Add the chicken pieces and turn them in the paste. Cook them for five minutes until coated and sealed.
5. Add the fish sauce and the water. Bring it to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook it for twenty-five minutes until the chicken is tender. Take the lid off and reduce the sauce for ten minutes. It should be thick and clinging rather than soupy.
6. Lift the chicken out and shred it roughly. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce. Preparing the rest is done while the curry cooks. Slice the onion as thinly as you can. Rinse it and squeeze it dry to remove the harshness. Boil the eggs and cut them in quarters. Mixing is done by hand, in a very large bowl. Put the noodles into the large bowl. Add the chicken curry with plenty of its oily sauce.
7. Sprinkle the toasted chickpea flour over everything. Add the sliced onion, bean sprouts and spring onions. Pour over the lime juice, fish sauce and a spoonful of chilli oil. Toss it with your hands, lifting and turning rather than stirring.
8. Keep going for a full minute so the flour coats everything. The chickpea flour should thicken the sauce into a light coating. Taste it and add more lime if it tastes flat. Add more fish sauce if it needs salt. Add more chilli oil if it needs heat. It should be savoury, sour and hot together.
9. Turn it out onto warm serving plates. Lay the quartered eggs on top. Scatter coriander over each plate. Serve a small bowl of clear chicken broth alongside.

Technique

• Toast the gram flour carefully, since it burns within seconds.
• Cook the onion paste until the oil separates, which is what Burmese cooks look for.
• Mix by hand and taste as you go, adjusting lime, fish sauce and chilli oil.

Substitutions

• Thick udon-style noodles if Burmese ones are unavailable.
• Any mild chilli oil in place of homemade.

Variations

• With pork in place of chicken.
• Vegetarian, with tofu and no fish sauce.
• With extra chilli oil, which is how it is often ordered.

History

Thick round rice noodles tossed with chicken curry, chickpea flour and boiled egg; a Mandalay breakfast eaten with a bowl of broth.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nangyi Thoke?

Nangyi Thoke is a main from Myanmar: thick rice noodles hand-mixed with chicken, chickpea flour and chili oil. Thick round rice noodles tossed with chicken curry, chickpea flour and boiled egg; a Mandalay breakfast eaten with a bowl of broth.

How long does Nangyi Thoke take to make?

Nangyi Thoke takes 40 min of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Nangyi Thoke?

Yes, within limits. Thick udon-style noodles if Burmese ones are unavailable. Any mild chilli oil in place of homemade.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nangyi Thoke?

Add the fish sauce and the water. Bring it to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook it for twenty-five minutes until the chicken is tender. Take the lid off and reduce the sauce for ten minutes. It should be thick and clinging rather than soupy.