Khao Soi Islam-  Khao Soi the Haw (Ho) Muslim way

If you are on the night bazaar street in Chiang Mai, you also happen to very close to a small side street which is home to the most typical lunch dish in the north. On Charoen Prathet soi 1, you will find the roots of Khao Soi.

Charoen Prathet ("improve the country"), soi 1 is a narrow street inhabited of Chinese Haw Muslims. Once you enter the soi you feel more like you are in Malaysia or Indonesia than Thailand. You can see a big mosque, Muslim tailors, Hassans mobile shop and yes indeed a few Khao Soi restaurants. On the Charoen Prathet street, Chinese Haw Muslim caravans ended their long journey from the south of China, and these Haw traders introduced the dish to the northern parts of Thailand, Shan - Burma, and northern Laos. 

Try Khao Soi Islam restaurant, they have been in business for around 50 years. The present owner khun Wanida Lertpunwilai said that her parents couldn’t come up with a catchy name, therefore they decided to name the restaurant after the main dish they served, that is Khao Soi the Haw Muslim version. 

Khao Soi Islam serves a Khao Soi close to Yunnan’s version, but slightly modified for the northern Thai market. The coconut milk is lighter then in the thai verison. The original yunanese style seems to have been served with a clear soup and rice noodles. Where and when the coconut milk came in to the picture is somewhat of a mystery? Some people say it can be traced to a Burmese noodle dish, someone says Shan origin and someone claim it might come from the royal cuisine of Bangkok. I try to ask in every restaurant where I eat Khao Soi and the owners all have different answers. In Khao Soi Islam the egg noodles are not strongly yellow colored and they are a bit slippery (the owner claims that the yellow color used can cause to cancer). Not everyone has this idea, someone say the yellow color comes from the healthy tumeric herb. Chicken or beef Khao Soi are the trademarks of the restaurant, but also a vegetarian version can be served. The small pickles are also sweeter then what you get in the normal Lanna Khao Soi and the chili paste is claimed to have a touch of Sichuan spiciness.

This restaurant is a personal favorite when it comes to Khao Soi in Chiang Mai. Why? Well, the dish really has a very unique character in this restaurant. Maybe its just imagination but Khao Soi Islam’s Khao Soi feels like a dish quite true to the origins when the dish was first introduced in Thailand.

- The Price?  Just, 30 baht!

The service is fast, and many of the other dishes on the menu are also worthwhile testing. For instance try their spicy beef curry or their crispy fish snacks.

Khao Soi Islam is one of these restaurants that doesn’t look inviting at all from the outside, but just see the crowd at lunch time and the continuous flow of people throughout the day and you will understand that there is something about this place. So don’t miss out. Later on, you can compare it to eating Khao Soi in some of the other famous northern thai restaurants and compare the difference between the styles of Khao Soi.

Text and Photo: ^PS