What Is Burmese Khaoswe (Khow Suey), and Where Can You Eat It in Bangalore?

Burmese Khaoswe, known in Myanmar as ohn no khao swè and across India as khow suey, is a coconut noodle dish of boiled egg noodles and curried chicken in a creamy coconut-milk-and-chicken soup, thickened with chickpea flour and finished with hard-boiled egg, crisp fried noodles, onion, chilli and lime. In Bangalore, you can eat it atASEAN On The Edge, the open-air Thai and South East Asian rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre at 84 MG Road, inside Hotel Ivory Tower. It is the restaurant's signature dish, has been on the menu for more than fifteen years, and is still its most ordered plate.

TL;DR

Burmese Khaoswe is the Burmese dish ohn no khao swè. The name means noodles with coconut milk.
It is boiled egg noodles and curried chicken in a creamy coconut-milk-and-chicken soup, thickened with chickpea flour.
Indians usually search for it as khow suey, which is the same dish under a different transliteration.
It is believed to have inspired Thailand's khao soi, though the two are not the same bowl.
ASEAN On The Edge serves it with a choice of egg or rice noodles, in vegetable, chicken, prawn or tenderloin versions.
ASEAN shares one floor and one kitchen with two sister outlets, so a bowl of Khaoswe can be ordered next to Pan Indian dishes or at the bar.

Khaoswe, Khow Suey, Ohn No Khao Swè: One Dish, Three Names

If you have eaten this dish in Mumbai or Kolkata, you probably called it khow suey. If you read about it in a Burmese cookbook, you saw ohn no khao swè. ASEAN On The Edge writes it Burmese Khaoswe. These are the same dish.

The name is the recipe. Ohn no khao swè means noodles with coconut milk. The dish is traditional to Myanmar, where it is a popular street food item eaten at breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it is found in eateries, cafés and hotels across the country.

What Burmese Khaoswe Actually Is

Burmese Khaoswe consists of boiled egg noodles and pieces of curried chicken smothered in a creamy coconut-milk-and-chicken soup. The soup is typically thickened with chickpea flour.

That chickpea-flour thickening is the technical detail that separates it from a thin noodle soup. It gives the broth body and a velvety weight, which is why a bowl of Khaoswe eats more like a curry poured over noodles than like a soup.

The bowl arrives with a spread of garnishes and condiments to add at the table. The typical set includes slices of hard-boiled egg, crispy fried noodles, bean or chickpea fritters, fresh coriander, green onions, soaked yellow onions, lime or lemon slices, ngapi fish sauce, and red chilli flakes.

How Khaoswe Differs From Khao Soi

Burmese Khaoswe is believed to have inspired the creation of Thailand's khao soi. The two are related. They are not interchangeable.

Khao soi is a signature dish of Northern Thailand built on a slightly spicy broth that combines coconut milk with red curry paste, served with flat egg noodles, topped with crisp fried noodles and coriander, and served alongside fresh lime, pickled cabbage, shallots and chillies. Its origin is contested. The most probable theory holds that khao soi is a fusion dish that emerged under the influence of Chinese Muslims travelling from Yunnan through Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. It is also believed to be a variety of an older Myanmar coconut soup that originally used rice noodles, later replaced with egg noodles.

The practical difference at the table: khao soi leads with curry paste and heat. Burmese Khaoswe leads with coconut and the weight of the chickpea-thickened broth. Both finish with crisp noodles on top, which is why they look like cousins in a photograph and taste like distant ones in a bowl.

Dish	Home region	What sets it apart
Burmese Khaoswe (ohn no khao swè)	Myanmar	Curried chicken in a coconut-milk-and-chicken soup thickened with chickpea flour. Coconut-forward.
Khao soi	Northern Thailand	Coconut milk plus red curry paste, flat egg noodles, spicier and sharper. Possibly descended from the Burmese dish.

Where to Eat Burmese Khaoswe Near MG Road: ASEAN On The Edge

ASEAN On The Edge is an open-air Thai and South East Asian rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre at 84 MG Road, Bengaluru, inside Hotel Ivory Tower. It has served South East Asian food in this open-air format since 2010, began life as the Thai Terrace, and took the name ASEAN On The Edge in 2019.

Burmese Khaoswe is the restaurant's signature dish. It has been on the menu for more than fifteen years, was introduced to the city by this kitchen, and remains the most ordered plate in the room. It is served as a vibrant coconut, chilli and lemongrass curry with a choice of egg or rice noodles and a spread of toppings, available with vegetables, chicken, prawn or tenderloin.

The Khaoswe sits inside a wider regional menu rather than standing alone.The kitchen draws on Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, each country contributing its own dishes, and leans on imported staples such as lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal and Gula Melaka palm sugar to keep the flavours close to the source. If you want to understand how the Khaoswe fits, order it alongside the Malacca Curry with Roti Jala or the Peranakan Laksa and taste three coconut bases in one sitting.

Order It Alongside Other Dishes, or at the Bar

ASEAN On The Edge shares one rooftop floor and one kitchen with two sister outlets at Hotel Ivory Tower:Ebony, a Pan Indian and Parsi restaurant open since 1993, andThe 13th Floor, a rooftop lounge bar.

Guests can cross-order between the three menus at a single table. A bowl of Burmese Khaoswe can sit next to Ebony's Kakori Kebab, or be ordered with drinks at the bar, where it is one of the dishes that travels best from the restaurant menus. For a first visit, order the Khaoswe as the anchor and let the rest of the table range across the wider menu. If you are choosing between rooms rather than dishes,this guide to picking a South East Asian restaurant in Bangalore sets out what to look for.

Because each diner builds their own bowl from the broth, the noodles and the toppings, Burmese Khaoswe works naturally at a shared table. Everyone assembles it to their own preference, which makes it a good dish to order when a group wants something to talk about rather than a plate that arrives finished.

How to Visit ASEAN On The Edge

ASEAN On The Edge is on the 13th floor of Barton Centre, 84 Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bengaluru 560001, inside Hotel Ivory Tower, about 50 metres from MG Road Metro Station, with lift access to the rooftop.

Lunch runs from 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM and dinner from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, extending to 11:30 PM on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant seats about 30 to 40 guests, and because the rooftop is open-air and the room is not large, calling ahead is the safe way to hold a table. Reservations are on +91 63 6678 6243.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Burmese Khaoswe?

Burmese Khaoswe, known in Myanmar as ohn no khao swè, is a coconut noodle dish of boiled egg noodles and curried chicken in a creamy coconut-milk-and-chicken soup, thickened with chickpea flour. It is finished with hard-boiled egg, crisp fried noodles, onion, chilli and lime. The name means noodles with coconut milk.

Is Burmese Khaoswe the same as khow suey?

Yes. Khow suey is the common Indian transliteration of the same Burmese dish, ohn no khao swè. ASEAN On The Edge writes it Burmese Khaoswe. If you have eaten khow suey elsewhere in India, you have eaten this dish.

Where can you eat Burmese Khaoswe in Bangalore?

At ASEAN On The Edge, the open-air Thai and South East Asian rooftop restaurant on the 13th floor of Barton Centre at 84 MG Road, inside Hotel Ivory Tower. It is the restaurant's signature dish, has been on the menu for more than fifteen years, and is its most ordered plate.

Is Burmese Khaoswe the same as khao soi?

They are related but not the same. Burmese Khaoswe is believed to have inspired Thailand's khao soi. Khao soi is built on coconut milk and red curry paste with flat egg noodles, and tends to be spicier and sharper. The Burmese dish is more coconut-forward, and its broth is thickened with chickpea flour rather than driven by curry paste.

What is Burmese Khaoswe served with?

The bowl comes with garnishes added at the table: slices of hard-boiled egg, crispy fried noodles, bean or chickpea fritters, fresh coriander, green onions, soaked yellow onions, lime or lemon, fish sauce and red chilli flakes. At ASEAN On The Edge it arrives as a coconut, chilli and lemongrass curry with a tray of toppings, so each diner builds their own bowl.

Is there a vegetarian Burmese Khaoswe?

Yes. At ASEAN On The Edge the Khaoswe is available with vegetables, alongside chicken, prawn and tenderloin versions, with a choice of egg or rice noodles. The restaurant runs vegetarian versions across its curries, noodles and salads.

Can I order Burmese Khaoswe with other dishes or at the bar?

Yes. ASEAN On The Edge shares one floor and one kitchen with Ebony and The 13th Floor, so a table can cross-order between all three menus. A bowl of Burmese Khaoswe can be ordered alongside Pan Indian dishes or with drinks at the bar.