Chicken Barayani

Ingredients

1. Fine rice (Basmati rice recommended) - 1 pyi
2. Chicken (each weighing about 50 ticals) - 3
3. Oil - 10 ticals
4. Butter/ghee - 40 ticals
5. Ginger - 2 ticals
6. Cinnamon - 1 tical
7. Saffron - a pinch
8. Yogurt - 1 tea cup
9. Cloves - 9 pods
10. Cardamom - 9 pods
11. Cashew nuts - 20 ticals
12. Dried raisins - 3 ticals
13. Beans - 1 cup
14. Masala - 5 ticals
15. Bay leaf - 10 ticals
16. Milk - 15 ticals

Preparation

1. Clean the chicken thoroughly. Cut into 4 pieces (not including head, neck, feet and wings).
2. Pound ginger and squeeze the liquid onto the chicken. Add yogurt and half of the masala and marinate the chicken pieces.
3. Add saffron in the milk.
4. Cut onions into thin pieces and fry until golden brown in oil and butter. When crisp take out from oil, mix remaining masala with the fried onion and crush.
5. Wash rice thoroughly and drain water out.

Cooking

1. Boil water. When it boils, add rice, mix well with the water and close the cover. After awhile, when it boils again, open the cover and stir. Then take down from heat and drain water out of the rice.
2. Spread banana leaf in the pot that is being used to make barayani. Layer the chicken pieces on the bottom, then spread one layer of rice and one layer of fried onions. Continue making layers until rice is all used up. There should be about 3, 4 layers.
3. Pour butter/ghee on the top layer of rice and cover the top.
4. Give high heat to the top of the pot and to the bottom. Give no heat to the middle of the pot. If there is smoke coming out, take some fire away from the bottom. This is a traditional way of cooking barayani with charcoal in an open fire.
5. In about 15 minutes, barayani will be cooked and ready to be served.

Grilled and Fried Eggplant (Kayanthee Hpote Kyaw)

Ingredients

1. Round eggplants or long japanese eggplants 3
2. Egg 1
3. Large onion 1
4. Cloves garlic 3
5. Salt Some
6. Tumeric Some
7. Msg Some
8. Pepper seeds 5
9. Babboo skewers 3
10. Ticals oil 5

Preparation

1. Thread eggplant onto bamboo skewers and barbecue. Do not take out the stem. Bitter juice will pour out of the eggplant. Grill until the skin is burnt. Brush off the burnt ashes and set aside to cool.
2. When cool, peel off the skin.
3. Grind garlic and pepper seeds together.
4. Beat egg.

Cooking

1. Slice onion thinly and fry in heated oil. Add turmeric and cook until crisp. Take out the crisp onion from oil and put in a plate.
2. Put the grilled eggplant into the leftover oil and cook. Crush the eggplant.
3. Add beat egg to the pan and mix with crushed eggplant. Add some msg if preferred.
4. When cooked, add ground pepper and garlic and some salt

Serving

Put on a dish and sprinkle crisp fried onions

Beef Curry (A Mae Nhut)

Ingredients

1. Beef - 50 ticals
2. Oil - 10 ticals
3. Vinegar - 2 tablespoons

4. Green chili - 8
5. Ginger root - 2 inches

6. Onions - 5
7. Garlic - 2 cloves
8. Salt - some
9. Bay leaves - 4

10. Cinnamon sticks - 4
11. Cloves - 5
12. Pepper seeds - 4

Cooking

1. Cut beef into large pieces ( about 2 inch square).
2. Pound chili, onion, garlic and ginger into a paste.
3. Mix the paste and salt well into beef and start cooking in low heat.
4. When water evaporates, taste if the curry needs more salt or not.
5. Add a bit of water and cook some more. When water evaporates, see if beef is tender or not. If it is not, add more water and cook some more.
6. If beef is tender, add bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cloves and pepper and continue cooking until oil has welled up to the surface.

1 viss = 3.6 pounds = 100 ticals, 27.7 ticals = 1 pound , 1 tical = .57 ounces

Chin Baung Kyaw

Ingredients

1. Fresh roselle leaves - 3 bunches
2. Shrimp/prawns - 15 ticals
3. Small dried shrimps - 5 ticals
4. Fish paste (nga pi sein sar) - 1.5 ticals
5. Onions - 5 ticals
6. Garlic - 1.5 ticals
7. Oil - 7.5 ticals
8. Dried chili - 2.5 ticals
9. Green chili - 15
10. Shrimp sauce - 2 ticals
11. MSG - 1 teaspoon
12. Salt, turmeric - Some

Preparation

1. Pluck roselle leaves from stem, wash them and lay out to dry.
2. Take off shells from the shrimps, cut shrimps into smaller pieces.

Cooking

1. Pound dried chili, onions and garlic and fry them in oil until fragrant.
2. Add fresh shrimps and prawns, dried shrimps, turmeric, salt, shrimp sauce and MSG.
3. Mix fish paste in some water and pour into pan.
4. Add roselle leaves and mix well into the mixture. Crush the leaves hard until withered.
5. When oil separates from the mixture, add green chili.
6. Cook until dried. Add more salt, shrimp sauce if necessary.
7. Add pounded garlic just before you take the pan away from heat. If you do not like sourness of the roselle, you can boil the roselle leaves first, pour the water out, only then cook. Some like to add bamboo shoots in fried roselle to balance the sourness of roselle.

On the other hand, if you like more acidic taste, you can add tamarind powder or fresh tamarind mixed with water.

Brown Rice

Brown RiceWith Sesame Fried Vegetables

Ingredients


2 c Rice, brown
1 t Sea salt
2 Onions, green
1 c Radishes
1 Carrot
1 sl Cucumber (2-inch)
3 tb Cooking oil
1 t Garlic -- finely chopped
1 tb Sesame tahini
Soy sauce
Lemon juice


Directions

Wash the rice three times and boil in plenty of salt water until tender. While the rice is cooking, wash and prepare the vegetables. Slice the green onions finely. Cut each radish in half. Cut the carrot diagonally, then cut each slice in strips. Slice the cucumber (not too thinly), and cut each slice in four. Heat the oil in a wok or plan and stir0fry the garlic for 39 seconds. Add the prepared vegetables and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the sesame seeds after 2 minutes. When the rice is tender, drain and stir in the fried vegetbles and sesame seeds. Stir in the sesame paste. Sprinkle with a little soy sauce and lemon juice and serve hot with sesame tahini to

Mango Cake

Ingredients

2 cups milk
2 eggs
½ cup caster sugar
1½ to 2 cups of mango pulp, flesh or canned
1 tsp. Unflavoured gelatine
2 tablespoon water
1 cup cream

Directions

Turn freezer to its coldest setting. Put milk in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Meanwhile separate eggs and beat the yolks with half the sugar in a bowl until thick and light.Pour a little of the hot milk on to the yolks, stirring constantly, then return yolk mixture to saucepan and cook over hot water or on very low heat.

Stir all the time, do not allow to reach simmering point or the custard will curdle. As soon as it is thick enough to lightly coat back of spoon, remove from the heat and keep stirring until it cools somewhat. Pour into freezer tray and freeze until mushy.

Sprinkle gelatine over cold water in a cup and stand the cup in a small saucepan of water.Bring water to the boil so gelatine dissolves. Stir this into the mango pulp.

Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Do not over-beat or the ice cr
eam will have a buttery texture.Beat egg whites until soft peak forms; add remaining sugar and beat until soft and glossy.

Scrape half frozen custard into a bowl and beat with rotary beater until it is smooth, but do not let it melt.Chilling bowl and beater helps in hot weather. Fold in the mango pulp, egg whites and whipped cream and return to freezer trays. Freeze until firm.

Hidden Treasure(Monpetok)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour
Small pinch salt
1 1/4 cups water
20, 5-inch square banana leaves OR foil squares.
1 small or 1 pound grated coconut
12 ounces palm sugar OR 8 ounces brown sugar
1 teaspoon oil

Directions

Mix flour with salt and water into stiff dough. Knead we11, cover, and set aside.

Heat banana leaves to make pliable. Cut in 5-inch squares. If foil is used, prepare in 5-inch squares.

Grate coconut. Heat sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons water. When melted, add coconut and stir over fire till water is well absorbed.

Coat palm and fingers with oil. Take 2 teaspoons of dough and flatten on palm till 1/8 inch thin.

Spoon coconut mixture on center and wrap as much mixture as can be covered securely.

Take a banana leaf or foil square by 2 sides, holding it in a rough cone. Place pellet into cone formed. Fold down other sides of leaf, one side after the other, to form a flat top.

Lay pellets in steamer with flat side down to hold fold in place. The shape should be a pyramid.
Steam about 20 minutes. When glutinous rice is cooked through, unwrap and serve 3 to 4 small pyramids per person.

1 3/4 cups plus 1 cup water

Rich Semolina

Ingredients

3 each or 2 pounds grated coconut
4 ounces oil
1 pound semolina
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound sugar
2 ounces raisins
5 eggs
3/4 cup poppy seeds
4 ounces butter or ghee

Directions

Grate coconut hand extract cream (Or buy Coconut Milk Tin.). Keep pure and diluted extracts separately.

Strains diluted extract and dissolve in it the semolina and sugar. Let stand 30 minutes.
Beat eggs well. Add to above mixture. Add to it-melted butter and oil.

Put into pan large enough to have 1 1/2 inches deep only. Cook slowly, stirring all the time.
Keep stirring as color yellows then browns slightly.

Add pure coconut cream and salt, raisins, and 1/2 the poppy seeds, and keep stirring. After 5 minutes, take off fire and bake in slow oven, or continue over embers with hot coals placed evenly over top lid.

When cake is solid, press rests of poppy seeds on top and continues baking till well browned.
Let cool overnight if possible. Cut in diamonds. They keep well.

Wrapped Bananas

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups raw glutinous rice
1 large or 1 1/2 pounds grated coconut
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
15, 6-inch square banana leaves OR squares of foil
4 to 8 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Directions

Wash and soak glutinous rice in water overnight.

Continue on following day: keeping 1/2 grated coconut aside, extract coconut cream from the other 1/2. Keep pure cream separately from milk.

Dissolve sugar and 1/2 the salt in diluted coconut milk. Drain rice and soak it in this.

Heat banana leaves to make them pliable. After cutting into squares keep small bits of leaf to reinforce inside. OR prepare foil in squares.

Peel bananas and cut and slice to get short finger-size pieces. On each leaf or piece of foil, spoon 2 teaspoons rice, together with coconut milk that comes with it.

Lay a piece of banana on this with 1 tablespoon of pure coconut cream. Cover with another 2 teaspoons of rice and coconut milk.

Wrap into a neat oblong package. Stack oblongs in a steamer. Cover and steam 45 minutes if banana leaves are used and 1 hour if foil is used.

Top packet should be opened carefully. The rice should be done (no hard core) and just cling together without being gooey; though Burmese prefer it cooked longer and sticky.

Heat sesame seeds in dry pan till fragrant and brush or pound them slightly. Mix 1/4 teaspoon salt in rest of grated coconut.

Just before serving, unwrap each packet. Lay on a plate. Sprinkle with grated coconut and sesame seeds.

Seaweed Jelly

Ingredients

2 ounces dry seaweed agar
2 cups sugar
2 medium or 1 1/2 pounds grated coconut
Coloring

Directions

Soak agar in water 2 hours ahead to swell.

Grate coconuts. Put grated coconut into a clean wet cloth and squeeze pure cream from it. Keep this pure cream separately. Extract pure coconut milk. (Or buy it from super market.)

Clean the swelled agar. Measure it by cupfuls. Strain diluted coco-nut into cooking pot, adding water till there are twice as many cups as agar. Add sugar and agar and boil till all agar is dissolved.

Set aside about 1/4 of this in a bowl. Add drops of coloring to the remaining mixture and stir them in. Add half coconut cream and pour into shallow dish large enough to fill up to 1 1/2 inches thick only. Let cool.

Reheat the 1/4 set aside. Combine with rest of coconut cream and pour onto earlier jelly. Let set well and cut in diamonds.

Palm Sugar Sago

Sago or tapioca is transformed from dullness by the fragrance of palm sugar. The burmese make something easier than the Goula Malacca served all over Southeast Asia as saga with palm-sugar syrup and coconut cream.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups plus 1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 heaping cup dry sago or tapioca
1 large or 1 1/2 pounds grated coconut
2 cups solid palm sugar OR 1 1/2 cups maple syrup
A pinch salt

Directions

Boil 1 3/4 cups water. Wash sago quickly; add to boiling water and stir.

Dissolve palm sugar in 1 cup heated water.

When sago begins to get transparent, strain in dissolved palm sugar (or add maple syrup). Boil a few minutes more till sago is cooked through.Pour into shallow buttered tray and let cool and set.

Grate coconut. Add large pinch salt and mix into grated coconut.

Scoop out spoonfuls of set sago; roll in coconut till well covered

Coconut Milk with Sago

A cooling drink of saga coconut milk and calm sugar which can be served as a dessert.

Ingredients

l cup sago
4 cups water
¾ cup chopped palm
ice cubes
4 cups coconut milk
sugar

Directions

Wash and soak sago for approximately l hour, drain and put m a large saucepan with 3 cups of the water. Bring to the boil and simmer over a moderate heat until sago grains are clear. Cool and chill. Put palm sugar in a small saucepan with remaining water and heat gently until the cakes of sugar dissolve. Cool and strain the syrup. For each serving, put approximately 4 tablespoons of chilled sago into a tall glass, add 3 tablespoons syrup (or more according to taste) and mix well. Add 2 3 ice cubes and fill up with coconut milk. Stir and serve immediately.

Gin Thoke(Ginger Mix)

This after meal digestive tid bit is pronounced jintho . The Burmese are a very relaxed people. They sit around talking for a long time after meals and eat snacks like this instead of sweet desserts. Offer individual portions in very tiny bowls. and eat with the fingers.

Ingredients

125 g (4 oz) very tender fresh ginger
4-6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 cloves garlic, sliced
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds
salt to taste

Directions

Ideally, the ginger root should be so young that the skin is almost transparent and the roots tipped with pink. If the ginger you buy is more mature, use the small knobs growing off the main root. (The rest of the ginger can be peeled and preserved in a jar by covering with dry sherry Use in cooking.) Scrape skin off ginger with a sharp knife and cut ginger into very thin slices, then cut the slices into fine slivers. Marinate in lemon juice for at least 1 hour and the ginger will turn pink. Meanwhile, heat peanut and sesame oil in a small frying pan and fry the sliced garlic slowly until pale golden. Remove from heat immediately (it burns easily) and drain on absorbent paper. Allow to cool and become crisp. Put sesame seeds in a dry frying pan and stir constantly over moderate heat until golden brown. Turn immediately on to a plate to cool. When ready to serve. drain ginger from lemon juice and put in a bowl. Add salt to taste and sprinkle with garlic and sesame seeds. Toss together lightly.

Burmese Chicken Curry

If one were to cross indian and Chinese food, and the result were successful, it would taste like this Burmese dish, a curry with many dimensions of flavor, served on top of egg noodles! This is an involved dish to make, but is a meal in itself. Recipe originates from the book "Asian Pasta" by Linda Burum. Serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 large onions, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon ginger finely minced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 teaspoon garam masala
4 whole chicken breasts and 3 whole chicken legs
1 cinnamon stick
1 bayleaf
8 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup chick pea flour or dried yellow split peas
2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
salt to taste
2 lbs fresh Chinese egg noodles


Condiments

Peel and slice 12 garlic cloves crosswise. Fry them in 4 tablespoon oil until they are golden. Remove and cool.
3 hard cooked eggs quartered
2 red onions slivered lengthwise
3 green onions thinly sliced
2 limes or lemons cut into wedges
1 bunch fresh coriander sprigs, trimmed.
2 tablespoon crushed dried Asian Chili peppers sauted in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

Heat the vegetable oil in an 8 to 12 quart pan or Dutch oven. Stir in the turmeric and cook it for one minute. Add the onions and cook on medium heat stirring occasionally, until the onions are limp but not browned, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, cayenne, cumin, coriander and garam masala. Cook and stir the mixture about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them with the onions and spices. Add the cinnamon, bay leaf, and chicken broth, and simmer for 25 minutes.

Mix the chick pea flour with 1 1/3 cups water, or grind the lentils to a flour in a blender or mortar and mix 3/4 cup of the resulting flour with 1 1/3 cups water. Stir the mixture into the soup. Add the coconut milk, cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Thaw egg noodles if frozen. Put noodles in a large pot of boiling water and boil for 6-7 minutes. Drain noodles and stir in a couple of teaspoon of vegetable oil to keep them from sticking together and set aside.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully lift out the chicken pieces. Remove the meat from the bones and return it to the sauce. Add fish sauce and salt to taste. Serve the noodles of a platter and the curry and condiments separately. Diners first serve themselves to noodles, then the curry, then to the condiments they like.

Squid & Dandelions

Pyi-Gyi Nga Kazun Ywet (Squid & Dandelions)

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 ts Dried red hot chili flakes
1 tb Fresh lemon juice
2 ts Soy sauce
1 ts Brown sugar
2 ts Corn OR peanut oil
1 Clove garlic, chopped fine
1 lb Fresh squids, dressed, cut -into 1/2-inch round slices
1/4 lb Dandelion greens, green -leaves only, halved

Directions

Watercress and Swiss chard are good substitutes for dandelion since they all have a slightly bitter but appealing taste.
1. Mix the chili flakes, lemon juice, soy sauce, and sugar together. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and over moderate heat fry the garlic for 1 minute. Add the squid slices and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chili/lemon mixture and continue to fry.
3. Add the dandelion greens and cook for 2 minutes more. Do not overcook since it toughens the squid.
Serve warm with other dishes.

Pork And Pumpkin Stew

Recipe Based on: Recipes From The Golden Land The Burmese Kitchen by Copeland Marks (try library)Serving Size : 6

Ingredients

2 Pounds Boneless Pork -- 2 inch cubes
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Salt 1 Tablespoon Ginger -- finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Garlic -- finely chopped
1 Medium Onion -- chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
1 Teaspoon Shrimp Paste
2 Teaspoons Chile Flakes
2 Cups Water
1 Pound Cubed Pumpkin -- or butternut squash

Directions

Marinate pork with soy sauce and salt for 1 hour. In a large saucepan, place pork, marinade, ginger, garlic, onion, turmeric, oil, shrimp paste, chili flakes and 1 cup water. Mix well, Bring to boil over moderate heat. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. Add remaining water and pumpkin. Cook 15 minutes or until the pork is tender and most liquid evaporated. Serve warm over white rice.

Red Pork Pot Roast

Recipe Based on: Recipes From The Golden Land The Burmese Kitchen by Copeland Marks (try library)Serving Size: 6

Ingredients
2 Pounds Boneless Pork -- cubed
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Peanut Oil
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 Cloves Garlic -- sliced
1 Inch Ginger -- chopped
2 Cups Water

Directions

Marinate pork in soy sauce and salt for 1 hour. Heat the oil, add the sugar and stir to dissolve and caramelize. Add garlic and ginger, stir fry 2 minutes. Add pork and mix well. Cover pan and cook 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add water, cover and continue to cook for 45 minutes or until pork is tender and liquid is almost evaporated. Serve warm.

Chicken And Vegetable Fritters

Ingredients

Recipe Based on: Recipes From The Golden Land The Burmese Kitchen by Copeland Marks (try library) Serving Size : 6

1 Cup Chopped Chicken -- uncooked
1 Medium Egg -- beaten
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Carrot -- grated
1/2 Cup White Radish -- grated
1/2 Cup Cabbage -- grated
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar -- optional
1 Medium Scallion -- thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon Cilantro -- chopped
1 Tablespoon Serrano Pepper -- chopped
1 Tablespoon Rice Flour
1/4 Cup Peanut Oil

Directions

Mix the chicken, egg, salt, carrot, radish, cabbage, fish sauce, sugar, scallion, cilantro and serrano. Mix well. Add rice flour and mix well. Heat the oil in a skillet.

Prepare fritters about 3 inches long and 1/2 inch thick using about 1/2 cup of mixture. Brown them in oil over moderate heat about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Serving Ideas : Serve with Achin (Sour Sauce Dip) or other Burmese dip

Wheat Noodle in Coconut Chicken Soup

Wheat Noodle in Coconut Chicken Soup(Ohn-no-kauk-swey)


Ingredients

2 lb chicken
5 tbsp fish sauce
1 teasp salt
1 tbsp chily powder
1 tbsp oil
1 pc coconut (50 gm of thick coconut milk)
3 boiled eggs
1 lb onion
10 tbsp pea powder
3 lb wheat noodle


Directions

1. Chop chicken.
2. Boil chicken and chicken bones 2 quarts of water
3. Add fish sauce and boil for 15 minutes
4. Drain out soup to a container, remaining boiled chicken. Throw away chicken bones.
5. Add oil, salt, chily powder and fry for 5 minutes
6. Add coconut milk and pea powder.
7. Remix with the chicken soup
8. Add 2 more quarts of hot water
9. Add 1/2 lb of quartered onions to soup
10. Boil for 15 minutes in low heat
11. In each small plates, prepare these on table:
- Chilly powder
- Boil egg and remove shell. Slice.
- Thinly slice 1/2 lb of onion, wash in water. Drain water.
- Fry dried thick rice noodle
12. Serve noodle and soup in seperate bowls.

King Prawn Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp Sesame Oil
225g/8oz Raw King Prawns (jumbo shrimps), peeled and deveined
4 Spring Onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
10cm/4-inches Cucumber, cut into 5cm/2-inch julienne strips
1 tbsp freshly chopped Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 teasp Fish Sauce
2 fresh Red chillies, finely chopped
The juice of 1 Lemon

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and when very hot add the prawns and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until they turn pink.
2. Remove the prawns from the pan with a slotted spoon and cut into thin slices diagonally.
3. Place the prawn slices in a mixing bowl together with the remaining ingredients and toss to mix well. Serve immediately.

Burmese-Style Pork Curry

6 servings1 hour 20 minutes 15 mins prep

Ingredients
1/4 cup peeled slivered fresh ginger
1 1/2 lbs country-style boneless pork ribs, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions

Place the ginger in a small bowl with 1/3 cup of hot water and set aside until needed.

Cook the pork with the curry paste and brown sugar in a large deep skillet, stirring to coat meat, for about 15 minutes, until pork is nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix the turmeric, and soy sauce into the water and add to the pork. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until meat is tender and sauce has thickened, about 45 minutes.

Add the ginger (with its water), the shallots, garlic, and lime juice.

Simmer for 5-7 more minutes, allowing the flavors to blend through.

Check seasoning, adding more sugar, lime juice, or even a little salt, if necessary.

Serve at once with steamed jasmine rice.

Rakhine Mone-Ti

(Thin Rice Noodles And Fish Soup)

Rakhine nationals on the Bay of Bengal coast have a special way of making mohinga, the national dish. It is cooked different, served different, tastes different and is consumed different. It is worthy of its different name, Rakhine mone-ti. It may be enjoyed as a mixed salad accompanied by a soup or as noodles in clear fish soup.

thin rice noodles 1. 6 kg
pike conger 400 g
(nga-shwe) oil 320 g
turmeric a dash
ginger 2. 5 cm
garlic sliced 320 g
onion sliced 320 g
greater galangal 80 g
(pade-gaw)
shrimp paste 3 tsp
pepper 1/2 tsp
chili powder 2 tbs
tamarind 80 g
salt to taste
coriander leaves 160 g
Water to make 15 cups

Steps to cook
Boil fish till tender together with ginger and salt in water to just cover the fish. Debone the fish and slightly squeeze out the water when mashing it with the turmeric, and roast on slow fire in one tablespoon of oil till the fish becomes grainy. This is the fish garnish.

Strain the liquid in which the fish has been boiled, add shrimp paste and boil for 40'. Cool and let the solids settle. Take only the clear liquid. Place the roughly ground galangal together with 160 g of crushed garlic in a muslin bag in the liquid, add the pepper and boil 30' filling up with water to get 15 cups of liquid. This is the clear soup to serve ten persons.

Fry the remaining 160 g of sliced garlic in oil and remove the garlic into a dish adding 4 tbs of the cooked oil. This is the garlic garnish. Fry the onion in the remaining oil till golden. Strain into another dish. This is the onion garnish.

Make paste of chili powder in 2 tbs of water and cook in the frying oil till the water evaporates. This is the chili sauce.

Dissolve the tamarind in warm water to form a thick sauce.

To Serve

Take noodles. Add roasted fish, tamarind sauce, chili sauce, fried garlic in oil, fried onions and coriander leaves and mix thoroughly. Serve soup in a separate bowl.

Alternately put all the above ingredients in a bowl and pour the soup into the bowl. This is served as Rakhine mone-to.

King Prawn Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp Sesame Oil
225g/8oz Raw King Prawns (jumbo shrimps), peeled and deveined
4 Spring Onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
10cm/4-inches Cucumber, cut into 5cm/2-inch julienne strips
1 tbsp freshly chopped Coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 teasp Fish Sauce
2 fresh Red chillies, finely chopped
The juice of 1 Lemon

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and when very hot add the prawns and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until they turn pink.
2. Remove the prawns from the pan with a slotted spoon and cut into thin slices diagonally.
3. Place the prawn slices in a mixing bowl together with the remaining ingredients and toss to mix well. Serve immediately.

Mohinga

Serves 4-8

Ingredients
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 Onion, grated
4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2.5cm/1-inch freshly grated Root Ginger
1 Stalk Lemon Grass, very finely chopped (or 1 teasp Ground Lemon Grass)
1 teasp Chilli Powder
1 teasp Turmeric
1.5L/50fl.oz. Water
90ml/3fl.oz. Fish Sauce (or more to taste)
2 Small Onions, quartered
4 tbsp Rice Flour mixed with a little cold water
450g/1lb Catfish or any firm fish
450g/1lb Fine Rice Noodles

Garnishes
2 Hard Boiled Eggs, quartered
Shredded Spring Onions
Shredded Green Beans (raw or cooked)
Slices of Fried Gourd or Squash
Fresh Coriander Leaves
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the grated onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chilli powder and turmeric and cook for a few minutes over a medium heat, stirring, until fragrant.
2. Add the water, fish sauce, quartered onions and rice flour mixture. Mix well and bring to the boil, stirring thoroughly to prevent any lumps forming. Once the soup has thickened, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Cut the fish into chunks then add to the soup. Mix well and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the noodles and cook for about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
5. To serve – place a portion of noodles in individual soup bowls and top with the soup. Serve hot with the garnishes served in separate dishes and allow diners to add whichever of the garnishes they like to their own bowl of soup.