Khao Soi Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red curry paste
1 tablespoon curry powder
4 cups coconut milk
2 cups water
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, or more to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
12 whole dried Thai chile peppers
6 small shallots, cut into quarters
1/2 head bok choy, chopped
1 (8 ounce) package rice noodles
1 cup pickled mustard cabbage, thinly sliced (optional)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir chopped shallots and garlic until garlic starts to turn golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Add red curry paste and curry powder; cook and stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, water, chicken, and sea salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer soup.
Mix fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice into soup and simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes more.
Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; fry Thai chile peppers until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer chile peppers to soup, reserving oil in skillet. Fry quartered shallots and bok choy in hot oil until browned, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to soup and reserve oil in skillet.
Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside until noodles are softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Add 3/4 of the noodles to the soup. Fry the remaining rice noodles in the hot oil until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.
Divide soup among 6 bowls and top with fried noodles, pickled cabbage, cilantro, and lime wedges.