Two Spicy Healthy Recipes from Burma

People of Burma lay a great emphasis on contemplation and meditation, both in daily life and taken to their kitchens and eating tables. Burmese cuisine is sometimes taken as a fusion of Indian, Thai and Chinese cuisine, but it is not true. Burmese cuisine is influenced by its neighbors, but the dishes get their flavors from the thousand-year-old culture. Burmese spend time over each meal. No “fast food” is gulped here. The food is complex in a way so that each morsel is focused, and Burmese let the flavors reveal themselves slowly rather than expecting them to be immediately realized by the taste buds.

The meals are elaborated but small. The family gathers for lunch or dinner at a low table. Each dish is then passed around, followed by the bowl of rice. The appropriate accompaniments or condiments are then passed. The rice, mixed with all the items on the plate, is eaten with fingers. Although Burmese have begun using chopsticks as well. Burmese meals include an assortment of salads as well.

The common accompaniments are garlic, onions, ngapi (a shrimp-based paste), and balachaung which is a crispy combination of shrimp and several raw vegetables including cabbage, and mini-eggplants.

Two Burmese favorites are ta-yet-tea-tow which is a green mango onion salad, and khwauk swe, a chicken and noodle dish.

Ta-Yet-Tea-Tow
4 green mangoes
2 tablespoons shrimp powder
2 medium onions, sliced
4 green chiles
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons shrimp powder
2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
3 cups fried onions
1 tablespoon fish sauce
Salt, as needed

Peel mangoes and soak in water. Cut or break lengthwise and sliver into small, thin pieces. Squeeze slivered mango dry. Cut green chillies finely, discarding seeds if you wish. In a small dish, mix baked shrimp paste with cooked oil till smooth.

Into a bowl put mangoes, sliced onions, shrimp paste in oil, shrimp powder, green chillies, sesame seeds, 1/2 of fried onion, and sauce, and mix well. Taste and add salt as needed. Serve garnished with remaining fried onion. Serves 4-5.

Khwauk Swe
Serves four to five people
Ingredients

2 pounds chicken, boiled and cut into strips
1 pound rice noodles
2-3 onions, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sprig of coriander
1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed peanuts
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cook noodles till tender. Remove from heat, drain and set aside. Combine garlic, ginger and salt in a large bowl. Add chicken strips, and coat each piece with the spice mixture.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and tomatoes, and cook, stirring and sprinkling with pepper, salt and turmeric. Cook until onions soften and mixture thickens, for about 5 minutes. Add chicken and a cup of water, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Serve chicken over noodles. Garnish with coriander and crushed peanuts.

A dash of lemon juice accentuates the flavour of the spices

Source-http://www.greendivamom.com/author/savneet/