The Food of Asia. Kong Foong Ling
two fingers of the right hand, delicately serve themselves. Finger bowls would be provided.
Today, most Burmese combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them thoroughly as with a conventional salad.
Shwepayon Hincho
Pumpkin Soup with Basil
1 tablespoon oil
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lb 6 oz (700 g) peeled, seeded and cubed pumpkin
4 cups (1 liter) chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped Thai basil (horapa) leaves (substitute with European basil)
Heat oil in pan and lightly saute garlic for 5 minutes till fragrant. Add pumpkin and chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes till pumpkin is tender. Transfer to a blender and process till smooth. Return the soup to the pan and add salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped fresh basil just before serving.
Khayanthee Thoke
Grilled Eggplant Salad
2 large eggplants (aubergines)
2 tablespoons finely sliced onion, soaked in water
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2 bird's-eye chilies, finely sliced
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
Grill eggplants over charcoal flame till skin lightly charred; alternatively, bake or cook under grill (broil) till soft. Cool, discard skin and mash the flesh. Heat oil in wok, add garlic and deep-fry till crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and retain oil.
Place the eggplant, onion, garlic, peanuts, sesame, chili, and fish sauce in a salad bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic-infused oil and mix well. Garnish with cilantro.
Let Thoke Sone
Hand-tossed Salad
Main Ingredients
4 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pressed (firm) beancurd cakes (about 10 oz/300 g), soaked
¼ cup (60 ml) oil for deep-frying
½ cup (75 g) cooked rice
1 large red chili, finely chopped
1 cup (200 g) fresh egg noodles, blanched
1 cup (80 g) transparent vermicelli, soaked 2 minutes and boiled 3 minutes
1 cup (20 g) shredded cabbage
1 cup (80 g) beansprouts, blanched
1 cup (150 g) shredded green papaya
1 medium tomato, peeled and chopped
1 cup (160 g) peeled and shredded cucumber
Garnishes
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
12 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tablespoons chili flakes
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp soaked in ½ cup (125 ml) water
3 bird's-eye chilies, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sugar syrup
4 tablespoons dried shrimps, soaked and blended to powdery fluff
4 tablespoons roasted pea flour
4 tablespoons fish sauce
½ cup chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
For main ingredients, boil potatoes till done. Drain beancurd cakes and dry with paper towel. Slice each one in half then cut each half into 9 pieces to yield 36 cubes. Heat oil, add beancurd and deep-fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes till golden on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Knead chilies into cooked rice to color it.
For garnishes, heat oil in pan and fry onion and garlic till crisp. Remove and set aside, retain the oil. Sauté chili flakes by spooning the retained hot oil onto the chili flakes in a separate bowl and set aside (if chili flakes are placed directly into very hot oil, they will burn immediately). Stir and strain tamarind water, discard solids. Add bird's-eye chili and sugar syrup to tamarind water and set aside.
To serve, arrange all main ingredients on a large plate. Place each of the garnishes in individual bowls. Take a small handful of each item from the main ingredients. Then sprinkle on a little of each of the garnishes and mix thoroughly by hand.
Monlar Oo Thoke
Daikon Salad
This easy-to-prepare and refreshing salad can be eaten as a starter or as an accompaniment to curries and rice.
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large daikon radish (long white Oriental radish) (about lib, or 450 g), peeled and finely sliced
1 small onion, sliced
9 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons peanuts
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
Mix rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in a salad bowl and whisk till salt and sugar are dissolved. Add the radish, toss and chill for IS minutes. Soak the sliced onion in cold water for 5 minutes and drain. Fry the chopped garlic in oil over high heat till golden, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. (Discard oil or retain for use in another dish). Dry-roast the peanuts in a pan, cool and grind finely. When ready to serve, remove the radish mixture from the refrigerator and drain excess liquid. Add remaining ingredients and toss well.
Mohinga
Rice Noodles in Fish Soup
Stock
2 lb (1 kg) whole catfish
5 stalks lemongrass, bruised
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4 tablespoons fish sauce
8 cups (2 Iiters) water
Soup
¾ cup (150 g) raw rice, dry-roasted till light brown and ground to a powder
12 cups (3 liters) water
4 medium dried chilies
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons coarsely ground lemongrass
½ cup (125 ml) peanut oil
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fish sauce
12 whole shallots, peeled
7 oz (200 g) banana stem, sliced 1 in (2½ cm) thick (optional)
Garnish
10 oz (300g) rice vermicelli noodles, soaked for 2 minutes