KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — I’ve long had an affinity for the Northern Thai dish khao soi, and since I’ve yet to visit Chiang Mai or anywhere in northern Thailand, I’m always hunting for that thick noodle-and-curry dish in KL. 

The results are often mixed. 

Northern Thai cuisine doesn’t enjoy the popularity of Southern and especially Central Thai cuisine here (think tom yum, pad thai, green curry), and what little representation it has is often based solely on Isan cuisine.

I suspect it’s partly a marketing problem. In Malaysia, khao soi is often described as the Thai equivalent of curry noodles. 

It’s a useful heuristic, sure, but one that usually ends in disappointment once you discover how little the two share. 

Instead of a soupy, seafood-based broth with plenty of curry leaves and chilli, with sambal on the side, khao soi is built on a deeply aromatic spice paste, simmered in lots of coconut milk and served with raw shallots and pickled mustard greens.

Like the rest of Northern Thai cuisine, khao soi shares influences and ingredients with Myanmar’s Shan State and China’s Yunnan province. 

Its roots lie with the Chin Haw, Chinese migrants, mostly from Yunnan, who made their way to Thailand via Myanmar and Laos. 

A significant minority were Muslim, which is why most versions of khao soi are still traditionally served with chicken. 

The dish carries hints of this history. 

Pickled mustard greens are a Yunnan staple, and tsaoko, the Chinese black cardamom that grows in Yunnan’s highlands, is arguably the defining ingredient of the spice paste.

That context is usually missing, even at a little gem I recently found in Kepong. 

Granted, it’s not something that fits easily on a menu, but at Kao Mongkhol in Bandar Menjalara, there’s nary a mention of it at all. 

Barely seven months old, the restaurant focuses on khao kha moo and khao na pret, Teochew-influenced Thai braised pork leg and duck on rice, both hugely popular among Thai dishes in KL. 

Shrewd, considering the neighbourhood. 

But there is khao soi (RM13.90) and, more surprising still, khanom chin nam ngiao, a classic Chiang Mai dish with roots in Myanmar’s Shan State: fermented rice noodles (khanom chin) in a spicy pork rib and tomato broth. 

It’s listed under the northern name for the noodles, khanom sen (RM13.90).

The khao soi ticks all the requisite boxes: crispy wheat noodles on top, a braised chicken drumstick, and soft wheat noodles in a thick, complex curry. 

I won’t pretend my palate can pick out every component in the paste, but it has the warm, earthy and creamy profile I expect from khao soi. 

It’s less sweet than some versions I’ve tried, and on the milder side, so I added all the shallots and pickled mustard greens, then asked for more. 

I recommend you do the same, since the condiments are what bring the bowl into balance.

I also tried the khao kha moo (RM16.90) and kueh zap (RM15.90). I could confidently pick out five-spice and soy sauce in both, but neither was meltingly soft nor herbally robust enough to be notable. 

The air conditioning situation could use work, so I might wait for a cooler day, but otherwise I’m curious to come back for the khanom sen. 

It’s cheaper than a ticket to Chiang Mai.

Kao Mongkhol

7, Jalan 4/62A, 

Bandar Sri Menjalara, Kuala Lumpur.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am—9pm

Tel: 016-276 9460

Facebook: Kao Mongkhol

Instagram: @kaomongkhol

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.

* Follow Ethan Lau on Instagram @eatenlau for more khao soi chronicles.