Sour and spicy burma

Chef Ansab Khan of Burma Burma gives us a glimpse into a traditional vegetarian Burmese meal and introduces us to the cuisine's signatures

Burmese food can, in many ways, resonate with an Indian palate on account of its basic nature as a cuisine that has absorbed myriad influences from cuisines we are familiar with, while still retaining an essence of its own. As one settles down for a meal at the recently opened Burma Burma in the capital, the Indian, Chinese and Thai influences on account of the cuisine’s geographical location are subtle in some dishes and more than obvious in others. There is, nevertheless, a distinct identity that shines through and makes for a great introduction to the hearty, spicy and intense experience that is the culinary signature of Myanmar. Chef Ansab Khan takes us through a traditional vegetarian Burmese meal, giving us a peek into its four typical components — salad, soup, a rice/noodle main dish and dessert — that are meant to be laid out together for diners to make their own combinations with, along with a plethora of condiments and relishes for that extra spicy kick.

Salad stories “Salads are a very integral part of Burmese food,” affirms chef Ansab as he points out that they are typically much spicier and heavier than salads in other cuisines. They are often a combination of nuts, raw, cooked and preserved vegetables and can be dressed with anything from tamarind juice to garlic-infused oil. The raw mango salad one is served, for instance, combines shredded raw mango with roasted red chillies, peanuts, lettuce and fried onion. Served along with the meal and not as a separate course, salads can be eaten separately or like a crunchy side dish in combination with the main. “They’re traditionally called ‘thoke’ meaning mixed by hand which is how, ideally, they must be mixed,” the chef says and adds, “There’s a popular saying in Burma that the Burmese can make salad out of anything — from tea leaves, bottle gourd and raw mango to rice, grape-fruit and their counterpart to the Indian samosa!”

Soup tales Chef Ansab points out that the two predominant flavours in Burmese food are spicy and sour, and soups represent both distinctly. He shares. “Chillies and tamarind are used vastly across the cuisine in general, but you’ll find them predominant in soups. Generally on the lighter side, not too many Burmese soups are creamy,” he avers. As one spoons up some mone kyar yoe hin (pickled mustard green and lotus stem soup) and samuza hincho with its tangy, spicy broth, sour and spicy are respectively the strongest flavours pervading the taste buds. The chef tells us that like salads, soups can also be enjoyed separately or simply poured onto the rice, mixed with the salad and heartily dug into!

Decoding the khowsuey Being a rice-producing agrarian country, Myanmar’s main dishes mostly comprise sticky rice or rice made into noodles along with a spicy curry. Another well-known signature Burmese main, however, is the khowsuey. Traditionally served as a platter of noodles with an array of elements separately arranged so that the diner may add as many and as much as he/she desires, the typical Burmese khowsuey is a delicious and filling sum of many parts. “The word ‘khowsuey’ in Burmese stands for noodles,” chef Ansab reveals. In an aspect that mirrors Indian cuisine, khowsuey can have several regional variations too. The one version that is most popular across the country, the chef tells us, is the oh no khowsuey which has a coconut curry base. Other varieties include the Shwedagong khowsuey that uses a tomato base and is topped with a coconut cream. The chef adds, “There is also a street variation that comes from the Chinese migrant community and is made on big griddle tawas on the street. Then there’s the nangyi khowsuey made with rice noodles, chillies, turmeric oil, onions and gram flour. Khowsuey is a dish defined by variance — you can make of it what you want. There’s even a khowsuey thoke, a dry salad.”

Dessert dreams At a glance, Burmese desserts seem to represent a great love of two ingredients: coconut and palm jaggery. The latter is, in fact, often served as a complementary dessert at eateries in Myanmar. Chef Ansab affirms, “Coconut and palm jaggery are typical to Burmese desserts. Another commonly used element is sticky rice. There are desserts made by soaking and grinding the rice into a paste, and using that to make dumplings filled with palm jaggery. There’s also shwe kyi, a dessert that uses semolina and is like our Indian suji ka halwa but made with coconut milk.”

Ginthoke (pickled ginger salad) Ingredients Pickled ginger, shredded, 1/2 cup Gram flour, 1 tbsp Cabbage, chopped, 1/2 cup Ice berg lettuce, 1/2 cup Roasted peanuts, 1 tbsp Broadbeans, 1 tbsp Sunflower seeds, 1/2 tbsp Chana dal, fried and seasoned, 1/2 tbsp White sesame seeds, 1 tsp Dry coconut flakes, 1/4 cup Tomato, 1 medium Lemons, 2 Garlic, 3 big cloves Garlic oil, 2 tbsp Salt, 1/2 tsp

Method Soak the ginger in the juice of the lemons overnight. Roast the gram flour till slightly brown. Thinly slice the garlic and fry till brown. Reserve the oil for dressing. Roast the coconut flakes till brown.

In a salad bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix gently with your hands. Serve immediately.

Recipes and images courtesy Burma Burma

Tagu Piyan (chilled coconut custard with sago) Ingredients Coconut milk, 1 litre Agar agar, 15 gm Condensed milk,100 ml Sugar, 1/2 cup Sago, 1 cup Palm jaggery, 1 cup Brown sugar, 2 tbsp Fresh coconut, grated, 1/2

Method Soak the agar agar in water and set aside.

Boil the coconut milk and add the soaked agar agar, condensed milk and sugar. Cook for a few minutes till it thickens to coating consistency. Remove from heat and set in a tray or in round moulds.

Soak the sago in water for 30 minutes and boil it. Boil the palm jaggery separately and add to the sago once it becomes transparent, along with the brown sugar.

For plating, de-mould the coconut custard and scoop out the centre with a round pastry cutter. Pour the warm sago mixture into the well, garnish with fresh grated coconut and palm jaggery, and serve.

Recipe courtesy chef Alok Verma, The Imperial