Noodles · Thailand

How Many Calories in Kuay Jab?

Also known as ก๋วยจั๊บ, Kuai Chap, Guay Jub, Thai Rolled Noodle Soup, Kuay Jab Nam Sai.

Rolled rice noodle sheets in a peppery clear broth (nam sai) with pork offal, a boiled egg and a scatter of crispy pork belly, the Chinatown Bangkok classic. There is also a dark, thick nam khon version with five spice. 50 to 80 baht a bowl, more with extras.

350kcal / 1 bowl
A 350g bowl of kuay jab nam sai with crispy pork is about 350 calories. Thai tables list a plain kuay jab bowl at 240 calories; the 30g of moo krob on a Yaowarat style bowl adds roughly 110. The rolled noodles are about 110 calories, the offal 80, and the black pepper broth around 25.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl (350g)AmountPer 100g
Calories350 kcal100 kcal
Protein18 g5 g
Carbs36 g10 g
Fat15 g4 g

Where the calories come from

Rolled rice noodle sheets100g
110 kcal
Pork offal (intestine, liver, blood jelly)50g
80 kcal
Crispy pork belly30g
135 kcal
Peppery clear broth with coriander170g
25 kcal

The real talk

The broth is the surprise here. Nam sai kuay jab is a clear pork stock loaded with white pepper, and it comes in at about 25 calories per bowl. It is one of the most warming things you can eat in Bangkok for almost nothing. The rolled noodle sheets are 100g and about 110 calories, so before any topping goes in you are at 135. That is why the plain hdmall figure of 240 is so low: it is noodles, broth and a modest amount of offal.

The toppings are where a Chinatown bowl earns its 350. Pork intestine, liver and a piece of blood jelly are about 80 calories for 50g, and they are decent protein. Then the moo krob: a standard scatter is 30g and about 110 calories, more than the whole broth and offal put together. A piset bowl with extra crispy pork and a boiled egg lands around 480.

Nam khon (the dark version) is a different animal. The broth is thickened with tapioca starch and flavoured with five spice and soy, and the noodles are usually a bit more, so a bowl runs 380 to 420 even before crispy pork. If you want the lightest kuay jab, it is nam sai, offal only, no moo krob, at about 240.

How the portions compare

240 kcal
Plain nam sai, no crispy pork
350 kcal
Standard Yaowarat bowl with moo krob
480 kcal
Piset with extra moo krob and boiled egg

Kuay Jab variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Kuay jab nam sai, offal only240 kcalThe hdmall figure
Kuay jab Ubon (Vietnamese style)330 kcalRound noodles, minced pork, fried garlic
Kuay jab nam sai with moo krob350 kcalThe standard Chinatown order
Kuay jab nam khon400 kcalThick five spice broth

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

Is kuay jab high in calories?
Not especially. A plain bowl is about 240 calories and a Chinatown bowl with crispy pork is about 350. The crispy pork is a third of the total.
What is in kuay jab broth?
Pork stock with a lot of white pepper, garlic and coriander root. A 170g ladle is about 25 calories. The nam khon version adds tapioca starch and five spice.
How many calories in kuay jab nam khon?
About 400 a bowl. The starch thickened broth and slightly larger portion add 40 to 70 calories over the clear version.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or food court serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on hdmall.co.th kuay jab 1 bowl = 240 kcal (plain); estimate adds 30g moo krob (about 110 kcal) for the standard Yaowarat style bowl. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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