And the best soup award goes to: Khao Soi!

Close your eyes and imagine this—you are sitting at the dining table, your stomach grumbling from hunger, your mind ready for a feast, and a tray comes to sit in front of you. In the centre is a bowl filled to the brim with fiery coconut broth, glistening egg noodles, meat, and vegetables sneaking a peek from in between. Surrounding it are condiments too many to count—fresh spring onions, chopped coriander, peanuts, crispy fried onions and garlic, slices of lime, chilli flakes, and more crispy noodles. You complete the bowl with a sprinkle of everything and dip your spoon in for the first taste. Your mouth bites into the tender meat, the creamy silkiness of the broth lacing its way around your tongue as you slurp the noodles, the condiments cutting through for just the perfect bit of freshness. Another spoonful and before you know it the bowl is empty, waiting to be licked clean.

If you haven’t guessed it already, meet khao soi, the Thai noodle dish that beat 99 other soup dishes from around the world to win the best soup with a score of 4.9 out of 5 on TasteAtlas, an online food guide featuring reviews as well as recommendations from culinary professionals and critics from around the world.  

While the origin of the khao soi in Thailand is unclear, it is often traced back to northern Thailand in World War II, where a version of this soup was served, which then went on to be altered by Chinese Muslims who migrated from Yunnan in southwestern China via Myanmar and Laos to make the flavours more familiar.

And as Thailand celebrates this culinary win, we can’t help but scout for the best places to find ourselves a great bowl of khao soi in India.

Mamagoto

This one manages to get khao soi, or as they call it, the Chiang Mai Train Station noodles—named after the place of origin of the now famous dish, perfectly right across all its branches. You can never go wrong with this one.

Where | Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, and Noida
Price | ₹1600 for two

Haiku

Kaho soi may not be the go-to dish on the menu here, but you are definitely missing out if you haven’t tried it. The balance of freshness, zing, and creaminess is spot on with this one.

Where | 8-2-686/D, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad
Price | ₹1800 for two

Ping’s

One among the many small restaurants that dot the Lodhi Colony area, the khao soi here is one of the many crowd favourites. Pair it with their other specialty—baos, especially their Pork Char Sui—and you are bound to leave with a happy tummy.

Where | 13, Main Market, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi
Price | ₹1800 for two

1BHK-Brew House Kitchen

Perfectly velvety is the best way to describe this restaurant’s serving of khao soi, and they don’t shy away from a generous portion of broccoli, carrot, baby corn, and seafood (if that’s what you choose) to add more depth to the flavour.

Where | Oshiwara Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai
Price | ₹1600 for two

Gong

You cannot go wrong with anything you order from their menu, but since we are speaking of khao soi, their hearty version is definitely rave-worthy and bound to leave your palate tingling with flavour and your stomach warm.

Where | Survey 20 & 21, Unit 22 & 23, Balewadi High Street, Baner, Pune
Price | ₹1700 for two

 

Feature Image: @bowledoverbykari / Instagram