Beef Khow Suey

Beef Chow Suey

Khow Suey is a Burmese ramen dish topped with a delicately spiced coconut milk sauce and is served up with an array of different contrasting condiments & toppings that takes this dish to the next level and gives it a burst of amazing flavors.

I came across this recipe a while back and was a little hesitant to try it at first. It felt like there were too many moving parts to the recipe. But when I realized how easy each component was, and how I could modify it to my needs and tastes, I decided to give it a shot.

For starters, I could mix and match the choice of protein for my dish so easily, I decided to go the beef route for this particular recipe. But you can easily substitute with chicken, fish, shrimp, or any other meat of your choice. This could also be made with vegetables instead of meat.

Also, for the ramen, you could choose your noodle of choice, I prefer linguine, but I've seen people use spaghetti, egg noodles, or literally any pasta of your choice.

And as for the condiments, that's where the game is at.. you can play with spices, sauces, and other condiments that suit you flavor palette.

Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

For the beef:

• 3 tbsp Oil
• 1 lb. beef, cut in small cubes (about 3/4-1 inch thick)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt according to taste 

For the coconut sauce:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 2 tbsp gram flour (chickpea flour)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp green chilli paste (optional, can be added as part of toppings in the end)
• Salt according to taste

For the assembly: 

• 8 oz Linguine pasta, boiled and strained
• 2 hardboiled eggs 
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 tbsp deep fried onions
• Potato wafers
• Lime wedges
• handful chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. First I start by cooking the beef. The same recipe can be substituted for any other meat or vegetables of your choice. The only thing varying would be the time required to cook your meat. For eg, I pressure cook beef for about 15-20 minutes (5-6 whistles) in the pressure cooker. For vegetables, fish, shrimp or chicken, you probably don't need to pressure cook but can stove cook for about 25-30 mins for chicken and shrimp, 15 mins for fish and vegetables.
2. Heat oil in a vessel (I used the pressure cooker like mentioned above), and fry the chopped onion.
3. Once it gets translucent, add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry for another minute and then add tomato paste. Cook for another 2-3 mins.
4. Now add the beef cubes, spices and stir fry for about 5 mins
5. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook until beef is tender (Refer to point 1 for approximate timing).
6. Once done, open cooker and add more water and cook if necessary. Once ready, set aside.  
7. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, gram flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and water until completely blended. Pour it into a pan and cook on medium heat until it thickens and is cooked through. Now add the coconut milk whilst stirring continuously.
8. Cook for about 20 minutes and when it’s done add salt and lemon juice. Mix it well and take it off the heat.
9. To assemble, place boiled pasta in your serving dish, then pour coconut gravy over it, followed by the beef gravy in the center. Garnish with condiments of your choice. The possibilities are endless. 

I like to add a little more punch to my Khow Suey, and that is actually the best part of this dish. You can customize it to your taste, and still get the feeling of enjoying an exotic Burmese dish. So feel free to add condiments, of your choice. For me, I preferred to stick to some jalapeños, cilantro and spicy potatoes wafers for some added crunch.

Beef Chow Suey

I hope you enjoy this recipe and give it your own take. As always, feel free to comment with questions, concerns and suggestions. Until then, Live, Love, Laugh and Eat.. Oh yes, EAT!!