Prawns.....................

I had a handful of frozen prawns and needed a dish quick after a late morning in bed...so...

Prawns, sliced onions, crushed garlic and ginger, turmeric,salt,chilli powder and oil. Simple enough. Fry the onions and garlic in about two tablespoons or so of oil. Remove them when golden like this....

Throw the prawns, two pinches of salt, a bit or turmeric and chilli or paprika if you don't want it spicy and cook until prawns are curled. Taste and fix to your liking, add the fried onions and a tablespoon of water which will seal it all. DONE!

  Looks a bit too little so I added some pan fried potatoes.... now it looks better, right?

Pork and green mango..

 No onions this time. Just smashed garlic and ginger, turmeric ,chilli and fish sauce....

 Mix it all together over high heat and cover with water. Put the lid on and leave to cook over medium heat.

  Looks good..... the green mango will taste similar to a gourd, it should melt in your mouth.

Please enjoy eating... sar kaung par sae.

Potato salad, Myanmar style

This potato salad is quite healthy compared to the ones with mayonnaise, though they are equally delicious.

                          Start with some boiled potatoes, making sure they are cooked but still firm.

Slice half an onion ( I know, what a hassle, right?) as thin as you possibly can. Chop one (or more) chilli.

                                Other ingredients you will need for the salad are:   
                                                  .

                                fried garlic oil, about two tablespoons,

                                roasted dhal powder (optional ), about one tablespoonful,

                               tamarind pulp ( no, it's not coffee ), about two tablespoons, though you                            can use lemon juice, but it will not have the same body as tamarind.

    

                               about a tablespoon of fish sauce depending on how salty your want .

                               Now let's assemble the salad. I like to use a spoon and not my hands
                       to mix this as I tend to squish the potatoes too much!

                               Place the sliced potato and onions in a bowl,

                               add the rest of the ingredients ,

                                 and  mix gently with a spoon, making sure the oil is incorporated.

   Adjust according to your taste. 

                                    If you like some heat in your food, you can add dried chilli flakes.

                   It is ready now to join the pork curry and the sour daikon soup cooked with dried salted fish.

                                                                     Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First Blog

        I have thought many times of starting a blog, not just any blog but a food
 related one. Finally, after a busy day of just about everything, I am 

      starting one.  There are misconceptions about Myanmar food. 

Some think it is bland, not quite as exotic as Indian curries, not interesting 

as Thai or as healthy as Vietnamese dishes.

        Possibly all these notions are  correct. It is milder in taste and fewer in
ingredients. But the mildness and sometimes sparse components makes
 for a subtle and delicate taste that can be addictive. 

       We do have dishes that are vibrant and strong, some dishes
are influenced by the different cultures that have joined our nation.
The flavors maybe be deceptively mild but the memory of it
will stay with you for a long time.

       

      

I

Pork curry or sii pyun

 A simple dish with of pork, spices , onions and tomatoes.

I took about half a kilo of pork, cut it into random pieces ( I don't like precision cut blocks of meat)  and throw it in a pot together with a diced onion, two chopped tomatoes,a teaspoon each of turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt, and a smidgen of sugar.

 Pour about three tablespoons of oil on the whole lot and mix it well on high heat. When the onion has wilted down and meat has changed color, add water to cover it all.
 Put the lid on the pot and let it cook away, preferably on medium heat ( low heat if you are going  to be watching TV in the meantime like I was ) until meat is tender. Depending on the cut of the meat , you may need to add more water.

You will know when the dish is done by sight and sound. The water will have evaporated, the oil will have returned and the smell!!!  Glorious smell!!  It will fill up the whole kitchen and then you will know that the dish is done.

There! So simple and so good.
        I am sure most will already know how to cook this. For those who have not tasted it before, watch out that you don't burn the dish. But that's  no problem as the burnt bits are so, so delicious too.

bye for now....