Nyob Zoo All!
Here’s an updated qhaub poob recipe that I’ve been making recently. I think this one taste a little better than my old recipe so I wanted to share it with you all again. It’s such a great noodle soup to make on a cold day
Qhaub poob is a type of coconut curry chicken (or fish & or pork) noodle soup that is eaten in Laos. In Lao, this dish is called and spelled either as Kapoon or Khao Poon. In the Hmong Leeg dialect, we call it qhaub poob. This noodle soup can also be somewhat compared to other noodle soups like laksa and Khao soi that you may have seen in Thai, Malaysian, & Indonesian cuisine along with other countries in Southeast Asia since it has that coconut curry base broth. However, the flavor is a little bit more complex (in my opinion), noodles and toppings are also different. In the Hmong culture, we like to make this dish in a variety of different ways in terms of the thickness of the broth, the toppings, and what goes into the broth. The soup is served over rice vermicelli noodles and topped with fresh herbs and shredded cabbage. Here, I’ll be showing you my favorite way to make it and eat it. I hope you can give it a go. Happy cooking 🙂
Main Ingredients
THE BROTH:
The broth is made with a brown hen or rooster which you can easily get at the frozen section at most Asian grocery stores. I season it with salt, chicken bouillon powder, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass leaf, and galangal.
Let it boil for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. Remove the chicken and aromatics to cool before shredding the chicken.
FOR THE CURRY SAUTE:
Saute the aromatics (garlic, lemongrass, shallots, and kaffir lime leaves) in some oil along with some ground pork. Then saute the curry paste and add in the coconut cream.
- The curry paste I like to use: Namya and red curry paste.
- Use coconut cream for extra richness
- Use Rolin brand chili bamboo shoots
Add this curry saute into the chicken broth
What goes into the coconut curry chicken broth?
Bamboo in chili oil (Rolin brand): Make sure to drain the bamboo in chili oil before pouring it into the broth.
Pork meatballs: Optional but I love to add it in there for extra protein, texture, and flavor. Some people like to add quail eggs but I don’t like to so I add meatballs instead.
The shredded chicken: I like to pound it in a mortar and pestle
The broth soup look something like this. If there’s too much fat on the top, skim it out. Season it with fish sauce and taste to your liking. Keep it warm until ready to serve.
TO BUILD:
You will need vermicelli noodles: This is the one I like to use. The noodles are the thicker version for extra texture. You can use other noodles but vermicelli is the traditional and classic one to use. 
The toppings:
Shredded cabbage herb mix which has shredded cabbage, fresh mint, green onion, cilantro, & yardlong beans,
I also like to add thinly sliced banana blossom and fresh bean sprouts
Keeping the sliced banana blossom in lime water so it doesn’t oxidize. 
Once the broth is ready, noodles are cooked, toppings are prepped, it’s ready to serve! Add in noodles, the broth, and as much topping as you like. I like to add a little bit of my homemade chili oil crisp for extra flavor and spice. Mix and enjoy it while it’s hot.
NOTE: The broth is even better the next day since the spices are able to bloom overtime. If you have leftover broth, let it cool, place it in a good airtight container and stick it in the freezer. The broth does freeze well for up to 3 months. Just thaw and reheat when you want to eat it. Happy cooking!
ENJOY!
-Cindy Her (C.HerCreations)
Qhaub Poob [Khao Poon] (Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
For the chicken broth
- 1 (2lb) chicken with bone/skin on cut [I use brown hen or rooster for best flavor]
- 4 quarts water (16 cups)
- 1 Tbsp salt (18g)
- 1 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder (10g) [Totole brand]
- 1 bundle lemongrass leaf (10g) or (1 lemongrass stalk)
- 8 whole kaffir lime leaves (3g)
- 2 slices galangal (11g)
For the curry paste saute
- 3 Tbsp oil (I used the chili oil from the bamboo in chili oil)
- 1/2 cups minced shallots (74g)
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic (40g)
- 2 Tbsp finely minced lemongrass stalk (22g)
- 1 Tbsp finely mined kaffir lime leaves (5g)
- 1 lb ground pork (453g)
- 1 tsp salt (6g)
- 228 grams Mae Ploy red curry paste
- 342 grams Namya curry paste (Maesri brand)
- 1 liter coconut cream (I used Aroy D)
To finish the broth
- Shredded chicken from earlier
- 283.4 grams pork meatballs (quartered) [optional]
- 700 grams sliced bamboo in chili oil [DRAINED] (I like to use 2 jars of Rolin brand)
- 2 Tbsp fish sauce (36g)
Shredded cabbage/herb mix
- 1/2 a small cabbage (shredded) or 1/4 of a big one
- 1/4 small purple cabbage (shredded)
- 1/2 cups green onion (chopped)
- 1 cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1 cup fresh mint
- 1 cup yardlong beans (diced)
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- 1/2 a banana blossom (cleaned and thinly sliced)
To serve you'll need
- Cooked vermicelli noodles (I cooked 2 full packets of noodles [70.4oz dried weight])
- Chili oil crisp
Instructions
For the chicken broth
- Add everything into a big pot and slightly cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken and aromatics into a bowl and let the chicken cool before shredding it. Reserve the chicken broth for later.
- I like to place the cooked chicken in a mortar and pestle to shred it finer. But you can hand shred it too.
For the curry paste saute
- In a good non stick pan, add in the oil along with the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat until the aromatic are slightly soften. Then add in the ground pork and salt. Saute until you no longer see any pink from the pork. Then add in both curry paste. Saute for 2 minutes to release the aromatics. Then add in the coconut cream and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Then transfer all the saute into the reserved chicken broth.
To finish the broth
- Add in the shredded chicken, pork meatballs, DRAINED bamboo in chili oil, and fish sauce. Let everything come to a boil and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Skim off any access oil on the top. And then it's ready to serve! Keep it hot when serving for best taste.
Shredded cabbage/herb mix
- Shred the cabbage thinly and add in all the prepped herbs and yarlong beans into a big bowl. Mix well and set aside until ready to use. Keep the bean sprouts separate when serving. Clean the banana blossom well and thinly slice it. Place it in water with some lime juice so it doesn't oxidize. Leave it in the water as you serve.
Cook the vermicelli noodles
- Follow directions on the back of package.
To serve you'll need in your bowl
- Cooked vermicelli noodles (I like the thicker vermicelli noodles)
- A good ladle of the hot broth
- A good handful of the cabbage/herb mix, bean sprouts, & sliced banana blossom
- Optional things I also like to add: Chili oil crisp and more fish sauce if you want more saltiness.
- Stir everything and enjoy it while it's still hot.
