A broth of comfort

Dark. Grey. Clouds. Drizzle. Shower. Downpour. Raining pitchforks. Deluge. Flood.

The aroma of the wet earth is unmatched, and the romance of the rain prolongs with food tailored for the season. For starters, there's corn-on-the-cob, ergo the humble bhutta. The charred yellow-black kernels generously smothered with lime juice, salt and red chilli powder is the default snack for most. As is the pipping cuppa chai with equally hot bhajiyas. But take a pause the next time you salivate for these comfort foods and indulge instead in the Burmese khao suey.

A staple of Burma's Shan state, khao suey found its way into India from the eastern states and has caught on, on restaurant menus, across the country. Such is its popularity in India now that The Kitchen in Delhi's tony Khan Market maintains a running counter of the number of khao suey bowls it has served till date.
Khao suey is a combination of curry, noodles and condiments. The curry is a creamy broth made of coconut milk and lentil paste containing nuggets of meat (chicken or beef); the Indianised 'vegetarian' version contains all the veggies found in its Thai counterpart, the green curry, such as broccoli, baby corn, carrot, etc. Into the aromatic curry go the noodles made of rice or egg. The condiments–caramelised onions, fried garlic, peanuts, spring onion greens, vinegar or lemon juice and so on–add flavour and crunch to this wholesome meal. Why is it apt for the rains, you ask? Because this one-bowl meal is filling, soothing and heartwarming in equal parts.

The Pioneer
Credited for introducing khao suey to Mumbai, the trusted Joss dishes out a lip-smacking bowl and is perhaps the only restaurant in the city to do so with boiled egg—as is the case in the dish's country of origin. It is served with dunked brittle noodles which, having sat inside the broth, heartily absorb the rich, aromatic curry. Resultantly, each bite is a slurpful of flavour. Among the accompanying condiments is a small portion of steamed noodles—a helpful addition to dig into till you reach the curry's last drop.

The Popular
At the other end of the city from Joss in Santacruz is Burma Burma. At a glance, the khao suey curry here appears to have overdosed on turmeric, but tastes just fine with its generous use of coconut milk. The khao suey here is deliciously smooth, but perhaps not worth the wait since reservations at Burma Burma have to be made days in advance. Also, considering this Kala Ghoda establishment is the go-to place for vegetarian Burmese cuisine, non-vegetarians would do better heading elsewhere.

The Penny's Worth
Busago, with outposts in Lower Parel, Hill Road and Bandra-Kurla Complex, is famed for the Burmese dish. Don't judge it by its melamine bowls. Beyond its no-frills serveware is its sharp focus on doing a few things, but doing them right. This is amply evident in the khao suey, which is near-perfect in its taste, flavour and portion. The broth here is laced with chunks of veggies and the noodle serving is plentiful. This is our choice for value-for-money meal-in-a-bowl.

The Peculiar
Nom Nom, with branches in Bandra and Versova, is another good haunt for khao suey. This is perhaps among the few places to serve the broth with flat noodles—the softness of which adds to the different textures of the crunchy vegetables in the broth.
Among other remarkable but underrated kitchens serving up this meal are Temple Flower in Juhu and And Chillies, which has a small outlet in Worli and another one in Mahim.