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 and boiled for 2½ minutes, drained and tossed with a little peanut oil
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
1 small onion, finely sliced and fried with a pinch of turmeric till crisp
Split-pea Crackers (see below), crumbled
Fried Fish Cakes (see below)
3 scallions (spring onions), sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
4 limes, quartered
Fish sauce
Chili flakes
To make stock, place all ingredients in large pan and boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove fish, flake flesh and set aside. Strain stock and discard solids.
To make the soup, add rice powder to water, stir and set aside. Blend chilies, onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass to a paste. Heat oil in a pan and saute chili paste with turmeric till fragrant. Stir in fish, then add salt, pepper, fish sauce, and whole shallots and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Add banana stem, stock, and rice powder water. Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent lumps forming. Boil for IS minutes, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Arrange all garnishes on the table, add a little of each to a bowl then add. Add a drop or two of the fish sauce and chili flakes to taste.
Pe Chan Gyaw
Split-pea Crackers
5 tablespoons rice flour
2 cups (500 ml) water
½ cup (100 g) dried yellow split-peas, soaked overnight
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup (250 ml) oil for deep-frying
Add rice flour to water and stir well. Stir in split-peas and salt.
Heat oil for deep-frying. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the oil and deep-fry till crisp. Deep-fry several crackers at the same time. Drain on paper towel and cool. Crumble by hand if required.
Ngephe Gyaw
Fried Fish Cakes
1 lb (500 g) featherback fish (substitute with cod, kingfish or flounder)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
Water to moisten fingers
1 cup (250 ml) oil for deep-frying
Fillet the fish, flake the flesh and transfer to a mortar. Add garlic and ginger and pound to a paste. Add turmeric, salt and chili flakes and continue to pound for 10-15 minutes.
Roll the mixture into 3-in (7-cm) long "sausages", moistening fingers to help shape the mixture. Heat oil in pan, add several of the "fish sausages" at one time (not too many as they expand). Deep-fry for 5 minutes till golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel.
Ohn-no Kyaukswe
Coconut Noodles
1 lb (500 g) boneless chicken, cubed
6 tablespoons fish sauce
¼ cup (60 ml) oil
3 tablespoons ground onion
1 tablespoon ground garlic
½ tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon chili flakes
½ cup (50 g) chickpea flour
1 cup (250 ml) water
7 cups (1 ¾ liters) chicken stock
1 1/3 cups (330 ml) coconut milk
Garnish
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, soaked and finely sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves
2 limes, quartered
1 lb (2 kg) fresh egg noodles, blanched in boiling water
12 oz (350 g) fresh egg noodles, deep-fried in 1 cup (250 ml) oil till crisp, drained on paper towel, cooled and crumbled by hand into bite-sized pieces
7 tablespoons chili flakes
Fish sauce
Marinate chicken with fish sauce for at least 15 minutes. Heat oil in large pan, saute onion, garlic; ginger, and turmeric for 5 minutes. Stir in chicken and chili flakes. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent chicken sticking to pan. Meanwhile, add chickpea flour to water and whisk to remove lumps.
Add chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, add chickpea flour paste, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and continue to simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, till the sauce thickens slightly.
Arrange each garnishing item on a separate plate on the table around a central bowl of chicken and coconut soup. To serve, take a portion of fresh noodles, add a little of each garnishing (a dash of fish sauce if desired) and a generous helping of soup.
Pazunhtok Sebyan
Shrimp in Tomato Curry
Use the freshest large shrimp for this curry. Serve this spicy dish with plain rice and stir-fried vegetables.
1 lb (500 g) tiger prawns, shelled and cleaned
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/3 cup (80 ml) oil
2 tablespoons minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon chili flakes
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