Ohn No Khao Swè
“Coconut-chicken noodle soup — chickpea-flour-thickened coconut broth over yellow egg noodles. Yangon café staple, milder than Thai khao soi.”
Where it comes from
Bamar urban café dish, developed in early-20th-century Yangon where Chinese egg noodles met Bamar coconut-and-chickpea cooking. The Indian-origin chickpea-flour thickening is what separates it from any other Southeast Asian coconut noodle.
On the plate
Pale yellow coconut broth, lightly thickened, mildly sweet from coconut milk and savory from fish sauce. Soft yellow egg noodles. Topped with sliced shallot, cilantro, hard-boiled egg, crushed chili, and a wedge of lime.
How it works
Chickpea-flour slurry whisked into the broth at the simmer prevents the coconut milk from splitting — without it, the fat breaks and the soup turns greasy on top. Chicken thigh, never breast, because the long simmer needs the connective tissue.
Yangon's Feel Myanmar Food has served its version since 1996 with a 24-shallot base per pot. The dish is rare outside Yangon and Mandalay café circuits — it is not a village dish.
Variations
Yangon café-style is creamier and finishes with fried-noodle crunch on top. Mandalay version is thinner, more savory. Mawlamyine Mon-style adds banana-stem cubes to the broth and dials the coconut back.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓22 min active · 15 min waiting
How it's made
5 steps · Show ↓- 110 min
Sauté chopped chicken + 4 sliced onions + garlic-ginger paste 10 min.
- 215 min
Add 1 L coconut milk + 80 g chickpea flour slurry; simmer 15 min thickened.
- 32 min
Season with fish sauce, paprika, turmeric.
- 46 min
Cook 500 g yellow egg noodles separately; drain.
- 54 min
Ladle broth over noodles; top with crispy noodles, boiled egg, fried onion, chili oil, lime.
