Khao swe - Burmese noodle soup

Ravinda Bhogal "Slurp the blues away" - in The Guardian 28th Jan 2026

Khao swe  ( (pronounced cow sway) is a Burmese sweet-sour noodle soup with hot coconut broth, springy noodles and a madness of garnishes, from boiled eggs, red onion, to peanuts or crisp shallots. Feel free to experiment.

Ingredients

2 tbsp neutral oil

1 stick cinnamon

1 star anise

2 red onions, peeled and sliced into very fine half-moons

3 fat garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed

2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

2 lemongrass sticks, white parts only, finely chopped

6 makrut lime leaves, stalks removed, leaves finely chopped

1-2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric

3 tbsp gram flour

400ml chicken stock

400ml coconut milk

8 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 tbsp fish sauce

Juice of 1 juicy lime

1 tbsp palm sugar, or light brown sugar

250g flat wheat, rice , or egg noodles, cooked separately

To garnish (optional)

4 tbsp crisp shallots

40g chopped roasted peanuts

1 handful freshly chopped coriander

4 chopped spring onions or raw onion

Chopped chillis

4 hard-boiled eggs, halved

4 lime wedges

Saute onions until soft and golden with the cinnamon & anise.

Add garlic, ginger, lemon peel and cook till fragrant

Add spices and flour

Add stock and coconut milk stirring to dissolve flour. Once boiling simmer for 10mins.

Add chicken and cook until tender. May add prawns or tofu etc at this point

Add fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Check seasoning - may also need more chilli

To serve put the warm cooked noodles into serving bowls. Top with the hot soup. Serve with the garnishes.

.