Si chet khao swe – Burmese garlic oil noodles
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MiMi's delicious Burmese garlic oil noodles recipe is wonderfully moreish and definitely one to try at home. Coated in garlic-infused chicken fat, the noodles are topped with gently poached chicken and crispy golden garlicky chicken skin. Serve the chicken broth on the side with a splash of chilli oil for a warming heat.
For an introduction to Burmese cooking and more recipes, take a look at MiMi's feature.
First published in 2020
Si chet khao swe literally means 'cooked oil noodles'. Si chet, or cooked oil, is usually made by frying garlic or onions in groundnut oil, but in this dish, rendered chicken fat adds a layer of umami and richness.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and kept whole
- 240g of egg noodles, dried (medium-sized)
- 4 chicken thighs, on the bone with skin
To garnish
- 1 tbsp of groundnut oil, or other neutral oil
- 3 spring onions, green and white parts finely sliced
- 1 tbsp of granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp MSG (monosodium glutamate) powder, or 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
- 3 tbsp of light soy sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
- crispy shallots, shop-bought
- chilli oil, for drizzling
SAVE RECIPE
Method
1
Carefully remove the skin and trim any pieces of fat from the chicken thighs, but do not discard. Place the thighs in a saucepan and chop the reserved skin and fat into tiny pieces
2
Place the chopped skin and fat in a frying pan with the oil and fry gently over a medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, tossing from time to time until the fat renders and the skin begins to brown
3
Add the minced garlic to the frying pan and fry together with the browned skin on a medium-low heat for a further 10-15 minutes, tossing frequently until the chicken skin crisps up into crackling and the garlic turns golden and fragrant. Use a sieve to separate the chicken crackling and crispy garlic from the now aromatic cooked oil and set both to one side. When the crackling and garlic is cool, toss with half the MSG (or bouillon)
4
Add 750ml water, the whole garlic cloves, the sugar, the salt and the other half of the MSG or bouillon to the thighs in the saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and poach for 20 minutes until tender
5
Meanwhile cook the noodles in a saucepan as per the instructions, drain and return to the saucepan, covering with a lid to keep them warm
6
Remove the thighs from the chicken broth, pull the meat from the bones and chop the meat into 1cm chunks. Toss the warm noodles with 5 tablespoons of the broth, 3 tablespoons of the cooked oil, the light soy sauce, 8 grinds of fresh black pepper and half of the chopped spring onions
7
Divide the noodles between four shallow bowls and scatter with the chopped chicken, the chicken crackling and crispy garlic, half the remaining spring onions, and the crispy fried onions. Drizzle a teaspoon of the cooked oil over each bowl and add one more grind of black pepper to each
8
Divide the broth in small bowls and top with the rest of the spring onions and some black pepper. Serve the noodles with the bowls of broth on the side, drizzled with the chilli oil
First published in 2020
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