Burmese classic breakfast - Moh hin gha

Burmese classic breakfast - Moh hin gha is the popular breakfast frequently served up by at the road side stalls or by mobile street hawkers from house to house on a bamboo pole balanced across his/her shoulders. This rice noodle with fish broth is one versatile light meal which we can have it at any time of the day. The ideal fish for moh hin gha would be cat-fish! As for me, i would rather make full use of ready-made fish powder for convenience of cooking moh hin gha . I'm quite sure, you too can try this recipe at home. Try it and let me know how it goes....OK? :)

Cooking Time : 60-70 mins

Serves: 6-8

Main Ingredients

1. 75 g toasted chick-peas powder, dissolves in water
2. 200 ml coconut cream
3. mixtures of garlic, red onions and lemon grass, pounded
4. sections of fresh banana heart(banana stem), sliced and soaked in turmeric dissolves water
5. fish powder (ready-made)
6. 15-20 small red onions or shallots, peeled

Quick notes:

• Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder into a large bowl of water.
• Remove the fibre (thread like portion ) from the banana stem and chop it finely.

Soak the chopped pieces in turmeric dissolves water for about 10 minutes.

Ready-made fish powder

I use the ready-made fish powder from the brand name Myaung Mya Daw Cho. They also produce ready-made dried rice noodles to go with fish broth. All you need to do is to simmer the dried noodles in a pot of boiling water until it turns into soft texture. Then drain off the excess water before serving the noodles in a bowl with the fish broth. This brand is easily available in Burmese shops at Peninsula Plaza in Singapore. If you are not residing in Singapore, you might want to order from Burmese on-line stores. There are a few of them from UK, US and Australia.




Quick and Easy fish broth recipe

1. Simmer the sliced banana stem in a pot of boiling water for about 7-10 minutes. Then remove the sliced banana stem from the pot to drain off the excess water.  

  
   2.   Add 4 medium-sized bowls of water into a cooking pot to boil.

   3.   Pour in the chick-peas liquid and give it a quick stir. Uncovered and let it  
         boil for about 5 minutes.

chick-peas powder, dissolves in water

  
  4.   Add coconut cream to the mixture and stir well.

Keep stirring until the liquid thickens.

  
  5.   Add mixtures of red onions, garlic and lemon grass, and stir well.

  
  6.   Add the fish powder to the mixture and give it a continuous stir for 4-6 minutes.

Simmer for another 10-15 minutes

    7.  Add seasonings to taste (salt and Ajinomoto).   
   
    8.  Add small onions and let it simmer for a further 5 minutes before adding in the  
         boiled  banana stem. 

Stir in the onions and banana stem

  

Uncovered and leave the fish broth to simmer until the the onions and banana stem are tender.

 
Garnishing and toppings

1. chopped coriander leaves or parsley
2. lemon or lime
3. chilli flakes
4. boiled eggs, quartered
5. fried gourd or fried chick-peas

To serve:

First, fill the soup bowls with noodles, then pour the fish broth and add whatever garnishes and toppings you wish to add before tucking in.

In this recipe, i would not be using all of the toppings but only some.

Usually when we cook moh hin gha at home for our family members or for our guests, these garnishes and toppings are placed in small bowls and plates for people to choose from.

I prefer to serve moh hin gha  in a bowl as it would bring out the best taste because the noodles are soaking in the fish broth and absorbing the flavour. And  these slices of tender banana stem give an interesting texture and exotic flavour to our Burmese classic breakfast - Moh hin gha !!!!!!!  :):)))

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Coconut jelly (kyauk kyaw)

The word agar comes from Malay word agar-agar. In Malay, the word agar-agar means jelly. Agar is a flavourless gel derived from seaweed. Therefore, it contains the rich array of minerals. White and semi-translucent, it is available in strands, flakes or in powdered form.

Agar strands

It is often used in Asian desserts, such as jellies, puddings and custards. In Burmese cuisine, coconut jelly(kyauk kyaw) is made from agar too. Usually this dessert kyauk kyaw would be served during celebratory occasions, such as house-warming party and wedding reception.

kyauk kyaw

Serves : 4-6
Preparation Time : 20-25minutes

Ingredients

20g agar-agar strands

200ml coconut cream

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cup water

Method

1. Soak the agar strands in a bowl of water for 5 minutes.
2. Boil the water in a pot over medium heat.
3. Add the agar strands into the boiling water and stir until it is completely dissolved.
4. Add the coconut cream and stir for a few minutes on low heat.
5. Add sugar and salt. Give it a quick stir.
6. Turn off the heat.
7. Pour into a tray and let it set at room temperature(1.5-2 hours).

I was happy that the kyauk kyaw was set to perfection :) Yes, i finally did this right!!!! A nice soft texture unlike the rubbery kyauk kyaw during my first attempt. If you like a warm kyauk kyaw, then you do not need to chill this. However, i feel that kyauk kyaw gets much more delicious when chilled.

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