EPICURIOUS: NOSTALGIA IN A BOWL.

Ask anyone in the Memon or Gujarati community and they'll tell you that their way of making khao suey is the way to make it. This scrumptious noodle dish generates as many opinions as the best way to have a cup of chai - doodh patti or karrak; served with namkeen or meetha. Of course, for anyone and everyone, the right way is the way nani [grandmother] makes it.

While the dish is popular in Karachi, its origins can be traced back to the Myanmar noodle dish, ohn no khao swe, which is usually eaten as a hearty breakfast dish. While the Memon version is very similar, yoghurt is added to the curry in khao suey unlike it's Burmese doopelganger. The desi version also replaces the rice noodles with spaghetti. Similar noodle soups can be found in East Asia such as the laksa in Malaysia and Thailand's khao soi.

The Burmese dish wound its way to Pakistan and Eastern India most likely through Memon and Gujarati traders who travelled to the country or set up businesses there in the late 1800s-early 1900s. Those settled in or visiting the country were influenced by the local food, resulting in a dish that fuses the two cuisines - khao suey is neither desi nor East Asian but a combination of the two.

Even today, there is a sizeable desi community in large cities such as Yangon (formerly Rangoon) since many moved there during the days of British colonial rule and also during the Partition. But this migration wasn't one way - Myanmarese minorities, mostly Rohingya, moved to Karachi during the 1960s to escape persecution following a military coup. Areas such as Burmee Colony and Rohingyabad attest to this little-known history.

Of course, khao suey is and always will be a reminder of the intertwined history between the Memon, Gujarati and Burmese communities. Khao Suey isn't merely another dish, it's history in a bowl - and it'll make you nostalgic with every bite.

Khao suey is the embodiment of two cultures fused together into one spectacular dish

Khao Suey

Nothing hits home like a nice, comforting bowl of khao suey. The preferred garnishes defer from person to person and from family to family. In our house, it's simply not khao suey without the fried, shredded potatoes, but you can top the dish with boiled eggs, crushed paaparr, chips, finely chopped ginger, fried onions, coriander and mint. The list is endless - the key is to add a little crunch and chatpata [spicy or tangy] flavour.

Ingredients

For the Coconut Curry

400ml coconut milk

3/4 cup...