Pearl sago with sweet potatoes
Cooking Time : 50-60 mins
Serves : 3-4
Ingredients
2 cups water
5 tablespoons pearl sago
4 tablespoons sugar
150ml coconut cream
3 sweet potatoes ( diced into bite-sized cubes)
Method
This is a great light dessert served after a heavy meal. Enjoy :)) Oh....WAIT!!!!! End of the sweet light dessert recipe..........BUT........I still have part 2 of my this post which is an enduring love story!!!!!!!!!!
I was thinking of introducing one of Myanmar legends 'Kinnara' (a favourite Myanmar symbol of enduring love) to my non-burmese readers. Well, after searching and browsing through some of the Burmese websites, i came across this particular website which had posted about the various Kinnara stories in detail. I must admit that some of these informations that were posted on Myanmar legends (click to visit and read about Kinnara stories), i was reading them for my very first time too. So this is one great thing about blogging. In order to share our own culture with others through our blogs, we ourselves need to explore and discover our own culture. Blog.....blog...blog............what an excellent way to explore and share :)))
Hi, nice to see all of you again :) I'm back!!!! Nope, i was not on holiday. I was just too lazy to write up a new post and decided to take a short break from blogging. That's it ;)) Let's us get back to my kitchen now. Come on in my Moulmein Kitchen :D
Today i'm making one of my father's favourites as well as my favourite 'Nan gyi thoke'. The word nan gyi refers to the type of noodle, and the word thoke means salad. My mother used 'laksa bee hoon' as i guess this type of noodle is similar to nan gyi . In Singapore, you can buy this noodle either from the wet market or the NTUC. For this recipe, i used very few ingredients. No fancy long list of ingredients. Whatever i have in my kitchen, i make full use of those. I used the leftover chicken curry as the main ingredient for nan gyi thoke.
I found one green mango and chicken breasts in the fridge and decided to make the combination of chicken and mango salad. It was so easy and really good, but just look at these chunky mango slices, hmmmm.....should have cut it into bite-sized pieces :) This combination of chicken and mango salad is refreshing and delicious. Try out my brand new recipe :)
Serves : 2
Marinating time : 4 hrs
Preparation time : 20 mins
Ingredients
2 boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons honey
1 green mango, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons peanuts, coarsely pounded
2 cloves of garlic, grated
ground white pepper
fish sauce
salt
oil
Method
Traditional Myanmar(Burma) dishes are influenced by two culinary giants, India and China. Indian spices such as chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin, cinnamon and coriander are used to flavour Myanmar curry dishes. China influence is also noticeable, especially the use of noodles. An example would be stir-fried noodles served in the bustling street cafes and restaurants. Although it incorporates certain elements from the cooking of these neighbouring countries, i do feel that Myanmar cuisine has its own special identity. The flavours usually consist of sour, salty, spicy and bitter.
Rice cooking technique
In many households (mostly in rural areas), a large pot is used to cook rice. First rinse the rice with water before adding water to the rice pot to boil. The charcoal cooker is commonly used to cook rice and other dishes. The rice is par-boiled and drained. Then the rice is left to steam in the pot until it is soft and fluffy. So you can see, this is definitely not as straightforward as using rice-cooker.
Burmese etiquette
Generally the traditional custom of eating with the fingers still persists. Ofcourse, there are fancy restaurants in Myanmar where they introduce Western-style with plates and cutlery. Only the right hand is used to scoop up the rice and other ingredients. Rice and curries are customarily blended so each mouthful is unique.
The left hand is used for passing a plate of food. If not, your left hand should rest on the table or your lap. The left hand is strictly reserved for other functions (toilet related). However, it is alright to use the left hand for other activities like writing and cooking. I am a lefty and do things with my left hand most of the time. But i have no problem using my right hand to eat.
Food tastes best when eaten with your fingers. So do enjoy this cultural experience of getting intimate with your food after washing your hands.
Hopefully, this post will give you some ideas of Myanmar culinary customs which is probably one of the least well-known of all Asian culinary customs. Thanks for visiting and have a pleasant day! See ya......
Read more...My mother cooks this eggplant curry at home quite often. I like the rich taste of this eggplant stuffed with peanuts, dried shrimps and spices. Recently, i tried out this simple recipe in my own kitchen.
Mmmmmm...
Not bad :)
I have a feeling that I will be making this eggplant curry fairly often in the future.
For my this recipe, let me just eye balls things as i never like to measure.
I guess it runs in the genes.
Whenever i asked my mum how to prepare certain dishes, she would just say, " Well, you need to add this and that ingredient.....".
That's why, i often ended up cooking many dishes with no proper recipes.
To be honest, i prefer it this way too :)
Why not?
In fact, it makes my time in the kitchen more challenging and exciting.
Stuff the eggplants.
Add 1/4 cup of water and let this cook on medium heat until all the eggplants are well cooked.
note: During cooking process, add warm water as needed and gently turning the eggplants so that all the sides are equally cooked.
Serve this with rice.
Bu Thi Kyaw is a popular and versatile snack in Myanmar. Burmese like to add this delicious snack in Mont Hin Gar (thin rice noodles in thick fish soup) for more satisfying taste. Not only that, you also can made bu thi kyaw thoke (bottle gourd fritter salad). Another quick and easy recipe. I will post this recipe another time, ok :)Serves : 2
Preparation Time : 10-15 mins
Ingredients for bottle gourd fritters
270 g bottle gourd
1 packet tempura flour
1 cup cold water
Method
1. Slice the bottle gourd
2. Pour tempura flour in a big bowl. 
3. Add 1 cup of cold water and stir to make a paste.
4. Mix the bottle gourd pieces with the tempura flour paste.
5. Add the bottle gourd pieces into the hot oil to fry until golden brown on all sides.
6. Serve hot!
How to prepare the dipping sauce?
2 garlic cloves, crushed and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons tamarind juice
Seasons to taste
note: Coarsely chopped green chilli can be added if you like it to be spicy. If you just want a little bit of spiciness, then remove some of the seeds, and it will give a nice, but not too spicy flavour. You also can add a bit of roasted chickpeas powder to the dipping sauce to thicken the sauce and give it a more flavour. In fact, i prefer my dipping sauce with a bit of roasted chickpeas powder added in it. Now, that reminds me of the tasty bu thi kyaw that i had in Mudon with my aunts :):)
Have a nice day and thanks for your visit
Do come back again for more of my humble recipes and articles on Myanmar culture.
As i said before, pe pyote is one versatile ingredient that can make many dishes. So here we go.....another side dish, pe pyote with shredded bamboo shoots!!!!
note: You can buy pe pyote(boiled yellow beans) from any of the Burmese shops in Singapore, not sure of other countries. I do not know how to make pe pyote as it involves quite a few complicated steps before boiling the yellow beans. I promise, i will post about it once i have learnt the trade ;)Yesterday, i went to one of the Burmese shops to buy 1 packet of boiled yellow beans (pe pyote) as i was yearning for the Burmese breakfast which is rice with pe pyote . Pe pyote is one versatile ingredient that can make many types of dishes, such as fried rice and salad. You also can have pe pyote with paratha or with Nan. These are popular breakfast items in Myanmar and people usually have these with sweet milky tea or coffee. I do not like milky tea or coffee. I usually would have these with hot burmese tea (chinese green-tea).
Ok with that aside, i recalled one of my fond memories, pleasant and sing-song voices of pe pyote vendors calling out " Pe......Pyote " in the early morning in Yangon. So this is how i came to an idea of writing up my today blog post with the illustration of a cheerful pe pyote vendor :):)
Please excuse me for my lousy drawing :)
I can't draw but i also can't stop myself from wanting to illustrate these cheerful, resilient and generous Burmese street vendors. So here is my drawing as you can witness my very much limited talent :D
They are the wake-up call vendors with heavy basket or tray balanced on their head as they walk many miles to sell off their stuff early in the morning. With such a heavy load on their head, sweat streaming down from their forehead, most of them never fail to put on a genuine smile even when customers tried to bargain or asked for extra portions. Usually, you would see two large strips over the cheeks of women vendors. That is Burmese make-up which is also known as ta-na-ka. It acts as a sun-block. Well, maybe next time i will blog about ta-na-ka so do remember to visit my blog again, ok :) Thanks!
Step 1: Sprinkle salt, add 1 tablespoon of crispy garlic and oil to the rice.
Step 2: Add 2 tablespoons of pe pyote.
Step 3: Mix well!
Enjoy! 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 
kyauk kyaw 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.
For people in Myanmar, popular local breakfast items include coconut noodle, fish soup noodle, steamed sticky rice and fried rice with peas. Of course there is a wide variety of other local breakfast delicacies. Oil rice (si-htamin) is one of the popular Myanmar breakfast items. I am sharing this recipe with you on my blog as i believe anyone can follow this simple recipe of si-htamin. Hopefully, you will try making this in your own kitchen :)
Ingredients
Method
In fact, you can also use freshly grated coconut for garnishing. Either way, this is one yummy, quick and simple breakfast to go with a cup of hot burmese tea.
Read more...
Serves : 2
Step 5:
Toss in a bowl with the salt(1/2 teaspoon).
Step 6:
Place the cucumber on a clean kitchen towel.
Step 7:
Tie this up into a bundle like this.
Step 8:
Place the cucumber bundle on the higher end of the tilted chopping board. Place heavy weights on the bundle to drain the cucumber. In this case, i used mortar and pestle. You can see water dripping down. It is very important to drain the cucumber thoroughly.
After 2-3 hours, remove the weights.
Step 9:
Add 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar and let it chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. (Chilling part is optional. I prefer to eat this chilled.)
Read more...
Serves : 3-4
Do you enjoy eating potato patties?
If so, you should try this shrimp and potato patties recipe.
Preparation Time : 20 - 25 minutes
Serves : 2 - 3
Ingredients
~ 3 potatoes
~ 1 egg
~ 6-7 pieces of cooked shrimps
~ 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
~ 1 cup flour
~ 1 cup milk
~ oil (just add enough oil to cover the patty)
~ a pinch of salt
Method
=> Peel and wash the potatoes. Then grate the potatoes. Add coarsely chopped onion and shrimps to the potatoes and mixed well. 
Then make potato shrimps patties like this.
=> Mix flour and salt.
=> Add egg and milk to the mixture and beat until smoother batter is formed.
=> Heat oil in a pan.
=> Pour the mixture of flour, egg and milk over the patties before adding in the hot oil to fry.
=> Fry the patties until they turned golden brown.
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