This Burmese-inspired beef khao suey is so hearty and comforting. Spicy beef atop noodles, dredged in creamy coconut curry, complete with crunchy, herby toppings! Pair it with my Rainbow Thai Salad, and you’ve got a Southeast Asian feast! Or, treat the salad like a base instead of the noodles, like I do, for a low-carb meal!
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What is Khao Suey?
Khao Suey or Khow Suey (pronounced khao sway) is a coconut-based noodle soup. It is made with beef or chicken and eaten with a variety of toppings. Although it originated in Burma (present-day Myanmar), it is extremely popular in the rest of South Asia, especially in Pakistan, where I grew up.
It came to India with the Indians who migrated from Burma during World War 2. There are many different versions of Khao Suey, or Curry Khaosay, as the Memon community in Pakistan calls it (their curry is much thinner and yogurt-based).
The Khao Suey I grew up eating was one curry. It entailed sautéing onions and adding the coconut milk to the meat curry. It was just as delicious but more work. Because I believe in saving time in the kitchen, I’m sharing a recipe that doesn’t require chopping or sautéing onions. Did I hear a yay!!?
Because if you did cry out with joy, then you’ll love another quick spicy beef recipe on the blog, my Easy Keema Recipe.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️ Ready In: 1 hour 10 minutes.
👪 Serves: 4.
🍽 Calories and Protein: 719kcal, 44g.
📋 Main Ingredients: Beef, coconut milk, and gram flour.
📖 Dietary Notes: Gluten-free, dairy- free, Whole30 variations.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: It is so versatile. Add or subtract toppings as you wish! And it’s quicker to make than the traditional version because there’s no need to brown the onions!
Summarize & Save This Content With AI
“Excellent recipe! Followed it to a T and had great results! This is going to be in our rotation! Thank you for sharing!” Amber Zaidi
Ingredient Notes
For the meat curry
Stew beef: Cut it into 1-inch cubes. I have recently started getting the stew beef from Crescent Halal, which cooks quickly and results in tender meat, so I’d highly recommend them.
Ginger & garlic: Mince or paste, both work.
Tomato sauce/passata: Tomato sauce in this recipe does not refer to ketchup but to strained tomatoes, commonly called tomato sauce or passata here in the U.S.
For the coconut curry
Oil: Coconut oil gives it that extra flavor boost, but you can use any neutral oil.
Curry leaves: These may be hard to find, so consider them optional, but highly recommended! Most Asian/Indian stores carry them in the produce section.
Gram flour/besan: Use gram flour, not chickpea flour, if you can find it. Although they can both be used interchangeably, besan is a better fit for this recipe.
Gram flour, known as “besan” in Pakistani and Indian cuisine, is made with split brown chickpeas (chana dal). This is different from chickpea flour, which is made with white chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans.
Spices: Red chili powder, ground turmeric, fenugreek seeds, and ground cumin.
Coconut milk: Use full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk and not the lite variety, as that results in a thin coconut curry. I love the Thai Kitchen brand.
For the Toppings
Chili oil. Traditional Burmese Khao Suey has chili oil as a topping, but you can use red pepper flakes in a pinch.
Green onions/scallions. Also known as spring onion. The green parts are sliced thin.
Green chilies. Chop any you have on hand. I switch between Thai, Serrano, and Jalapeno. It also depends on how much heat you prefer. Thai chili is the hottest, and Jalapeno is the mildest of the three.
Cilantro. Chopped fine.
Any crunch. The authentic recipe calls for deep-fried noodles, and I have seen people add potato chips as well. I like to top my khao suey with chopped peanuts.
Some Variations
- Use chicken stock/broth in the coconut curry instead of water for additional flavor and nutrients.
- Make the pasta gluten-free or use a plant-based variety. I have tried Khao Suey with chickpea noodles and even white or brown rice noodles.
- Try different toppings. Fry some garlic slices for an additional crunch. Use different nuts, such as slivered almonds or cashews. Use fried onions. Even my Homemade Nimco would go well here.
- Make it with chicken. I like to use cubed thigh meat. Cook as you would the beef curry. The cooking time will be shorter, so keep an eye on it.
- Make it vegan/vegetarian. You can also omit the meat entirely and use tofu, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.
- If you’re trying to eat a low-carb diet or are following the Whole 30 protocol:
- Use spiralised zucchini, shredded cabbage, or spaghetti squash as the noodle base.
- You can skip making the coconut curry separately, since it contains gram flour (not allowed on The Whole30), and add the can of coconut milk straight to the meat curry in step 2, along with the tomato sauce.
- Switch out the peanuts with crushed cashews or slivered almonds!
Watch Me Make Beef Khao Suey
How to Make Beef Khao Suey
Step 1: Heat the oil in a medium pan and then add the beef and all the spices. Sauté on medium-high heat for a minute.
Step 2: Next, add the tomato sauce. Stir to combine the two, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let the beef cook until tender, about 40 minutes.
Use this time to boil the noodles and eggs. As well as to prepare the coconut curry and the toppings.
Step 3: To make the coconut curry, heat the oil on medium-high, then add the curry leaves once it’s hot. Sauté till the leaves have crisped up slightly. Then add the gram flour and spices to the pan.
Step 4: Sauté everything for about a minute, and then add the coconut milk and water to the pan. Lower the heat and let it boil, uncovered, for a couple of minutes. Once the curry has thickened, switch off the heat.
Step 5: Once the beef is tender, uncover the pan, turn the heat to high, and stir-fry it till all the moisture is gone and the oil rises to the top. Switch off the heat and plate the khao suey!
Step 6: First, place the noodles in a shallow bowl. Next, add the coconut curry, enough to dredge the noodles, and lastly, top the noodles with the beef curry. Garnish with your topping of choice and dig in!
Pro Tips
- Tomato sauce in this recipe does not refer to ketchup, but to strained tomatoes, commonly called tomato sauce or passata here in the U.S.
- Gram flour, known as "besan" in Pakistani and Indian cuisine, is made with split brown chickpeas (chana dal). This is different from chickpea flour, which is made with white chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans.
- I have found Thai Kitchen to be a great brand with consistent results every time. Use this brand if you can find it, or a good-quality full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk.
- Make Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas or Chicken 65 as a side with this beef khao suey and a refreshing Asian-inspired cucumber salad.
Khao Suey FAQs
Khao suey is eaten much like ramen noodles. There’s a meat component, a noodle base, and toppings.
Khao Suey is the Burmese version of the Thai dish Khao Soi
You can store the khao suey curry and the meat separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. They are freezer-friendly and can be combined to save on space. Prepare the noodles and toppings just before serving.
More Soups to Try
If you tried this Beef Khao Suey Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox!
Beef Khao Suey (Burmese Inspired)
Ingredients
For the beef curry
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 1/2 pounds stew beef cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 inch piece ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 8 ounces tomato sauce or passata *see note 1
For the coconut curry
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 4-5 fenugreek seeds
- 1 tablespoon gram flour * see note 2
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 13.5 ounces can coconut milk * see note 3
- 1 cup water
Toppings
- 1 boiled egg
- 1 green chili Jalapeno, Thai, Serrano , chopped
- Cilantro chopped
- Red pepper flakes
- Fried onions
- Nut of choice for crunch peanut, almond, cashew
- 1 lemon or lime cut into wedges
Instructions
Make the beef curry
- Heat the oil on medium-high heat, add the ginger and garlic and stir for a few seconds then add the meat. Stir to coat the meat and saute for a minute till the beef changes
- Add the spices and saute the meat and spices for about 30 seconds. Next, add the tomato sauce and stir to coat everything. Lower the heat and cover the pan to let the meat cook. This should take about 40 minutes. Check to see if the beef has softened at the 40-minute mark and let it cook for an additionla 10 miutes till cooked through and softened.
- While the meat is cooking, boil the noodles. Follow the directions on the noodle package.
Make the coconut curry
- In a pan, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and stir for about 30 seconds. Next, add all the spices and gram flour and saute for another 30 seconds. Finally, add the coconut milk and water.Lower the heat and let the curry cook uncovered. While the curry is cooking, prepare the toppings.
- Once the curry comes to a boil and has thickened, shut off the heat and cover the pan while we wait for the meat curry to finish cooking.
Prepare the toppings
- Boil the eggs and mash or dice them. Cut the lemon into wedges. Chop the green chiles and cilantro.
- Once the meat is ready, uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium-high ,and let the water evaporate and the oil rise to the top. Stir and switch off the heat.
- Now it is time to plate the Khao Suey! In a bowl, layer your spaghetti, put a generous helping of coconut curry, a serving spoon size of beef, and garnish with your toppings of choice.
- Enjoy warm and remember to protect your clothes with a napkin!
Video
Notes
- Tomato sauce in this recipe does not refer to ketchup but strained tomatoes commonly referred to as tomato sauce or passata here in the U.S.
- Gram flour, known as “besan” in Pakistani and Indian cuisine, is made with split brown chickpeas (chana dal). This is different from chickpea flour, which is made with white chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans.
- I have found Thai Kitchen to be a great brand with consistent results every time. Use this brand if you can find it or use a good quality full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk.
Amber Zaidi says
Excellent recipe! Followed it to a T and had great results! This is going to be in our rotation! Thank you for sharing!
Zeeshan says
I am so happy it worked out for you! Thanks so much for leaving a review Amber!
Shelley says
I am totally going to try this! YUM!!! I love broadening my knowledge of culture in the kitchen! Thanks Z!
Zeeshan says
Thanks Shell, let me know how it goes!