Curry Khowsa is the desi version of Khow Suey, a hearty Burmese noodle dish with coconut curry sauce made with beef or chicken. It is a very popular dish in Pakistan and India and for good reason, it is simply irresistible. My recipe comes from my Dadi who spent her childhood in Burma before moving back to India and then Karachi after she got married. This recipe was passed down from my Dadi to my mom who tweaked it to make it incredibly simple and quick without sacrificing its authentic flavors and deliciousness.

I grew up eating Curry Khowsa with ground chicken so that is the recipe I will be sharing here along with the garnishes my mom put together to give this recipe the perfect bite. As with many of my other recipes, I use masalas like Ginger Garlic paste and Green Masala that I have made before in large batches and keep in the fridge to use when I cook. I like to keep things as quick and simple as possible so I do rely on certain store bought items like fried onions.

As with all my recipes, there is always room for modifications if you are following a particular diet or lifestyle. For example, if you want to cut on calories, you can reduce (or remove completely) the oil you use to cook the chicken. I use full fat coconut milk but you can always use low fat and reduce the water you add to help keep the same consistency. If you are watching carbs or want to increase the micronutrient and fiber content of this dish, you can replace your noodles with zoodles and use more veggies for garnish. If you are going gluten free, you can replace spaghetti noodles with gluten free noodles of your choice, the remaining ingredients are already gluten free.

I hope you enjoy making and eating this dish as much as I do with my fam bam. It has become a household staple that Shawn begs me and my mom to make. I still can’t believe Shawn never had Curry Khowsa until we got married, but better late than never right?
If you do end up trying this recipe, please tag me in your pictures on Instagram @hungry.brown.girl ! Happy Eating 🙂

Ingredients

For the Curry

• 2 cans full fat coconut milk (I use Chaokoh brand)
• 4 cans water (use the same cans as coconut milk)
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour (besan)
• 1.5 teaspoons turmeric (haldi)
• Salt to taste

For the Chicken

• 2 lbs ground boneless chicken breast
• 1.5 cups fried onions
• 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon green masala
• 1.5 teaspoons red chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kashmiri mirch (can use paprika as an alternate)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1/2 cup water
• Salt to taste

For the garnishes

• 4 boiled eggs cut into small pieces or halves
• 1 bunch chopped green onions
• For the crispy noodle topping – 1/8 box dry spaghetti noodles broken into quarters and then fried
• Chopped cilantro
• For the spicy Red Vinegar Chutney – 3 tablespoons white vinegar mixed with 2.5 teaspoons red chili powder
• For the crispy red pepper garlic – pan fry 10 cloves finely chopped garlic and 3 tablespoons crushed red pepper

Instructions

• To make the Curry, empty 2 cans of coconut milk in a pot on the stove on low to medium heat. Using the same empty coconut milk can, mix in 4 cans of water.
• Add in 3/4 cup chickpea flour, 1.5 teaspoons turmeric, and salt
• Once you start mixing, you will notice the chickpea flour starting to clump. You can either use a whisk to break up all the clumps or I like to use an immersion blender to break the clumps and make the curry a smooth consistency.
• After the clumps are broken, turn the stove on low and allow the curry to thicken while periodically mixing. After the curry has thickened (this can take 10-15 minutes), turn off stove and place curry on the side.
• For the chicken, place a pot on the stove on medium heat. Add in oil, once heated, add in ground chicken and fry. Once chicken is starting to turn white, add in fried onions and allow chicken to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until chicken starts to become white throughout.
• Add in ginger garlic paste, green masala, turmeric, red chili powder, kashmiri mirch, and salt. Mix in thoroughly and evenly and let cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
• Mix in 1/2 cup water, put on low heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Now boil your spaghetti, I like to keep my noodles al dente but if you want softer noodles just boil for a bit longer.
• Grab a large plate or bowl and layer the bottom with spaghetti, add plenty of curry to make it soupy, add in chicken and all your garnishes on top and enjoy 🙂