Myanmar Ginger Salad

One of the things that I love about Asian food is that the preparation is so easy.

I once mentioned to a Myanmarese, “There are no fast-food restaurants in Myanmar.” The reply was, “All food in Myanmar is fast food.”

Indeed, with many Myanmar recipes, once you have the ingredients, creating the dish is quick. In addition, simple alterations to many recipes can create equally delicious dishes. Such is the case with Myanmar Ginger Salad.

John and I took a cruise in Myanmar on the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River from Mandalay to Bagan aboard the RV Pandaw Kindat, www.pandaw.com. The cruise was a great value; the one-week cruise was all-inclusive of food, local libations, tours, site admissions and tips for the crew. During the week, there were several onboard cultural presentations, such as how to apply thanaka (the pale yellow makeup commonly worn in Myanmar), how to wear a longyi (the wraparound garment worn by men and women), a puppet show and dance presentation. Also, every day there were shore trips to temples, pagodas, handicraft shops, villages and other fascinating places.

Near Amarapura, one excursion was a rowboat ride on Taungthaman Lake for a close up look at the picturesque U Bein Bridge thought to be the oldest and longest teakwood bridge in the world. One of the crew brought along sunset cocktails. How’s that for service?! We sat in the rowboat sipping our cocktails while watching the sun set. Beautiful. One of the shore trips was to a market in Pakokku, where Yan Myo Aung, our guide, pointed out all the ingredients needed to make Green Tea Leaf Salad and Ginger Salad. Many of the items, like ginger, were already julienned and ready to use.

 

My favorite salad was the Ginger Salad, which is usually served as an appetizer or salad in the United States but in Myanmar is often a dessert or palate cleanser.

In a cooking demonstration on board, Chef Wai Myo Ham showed how to prepare a Ginger Salad, with Mr. Yan translating.

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Mr. Yan related, “The simplicity of the

recipe defines Myanmar cuisine, which is a blend of textures and flavors utilizing available items from the market or locally farmed.”He also noted, “Pickling and salting of vegetables is widespread due to the lack of refrigeration.” There was one awkward moment during the lesson. When the salad was ready to serve, Mr. Yan asked our group of 10, “Who is the oldest? The oldest gets served first.” One woman in our group said, “You never ask a lady how old she is.” To avoid an embarrassing situation I volunteered that I was the oldest. Who knows? Maybe I was.         

Myanmar Ginger Salad (Jinn Thoke)

½ cup thinly sliced or julienned fresh or pickled ginger

½ cup thinly sliced crispy fried garlic

½ cup skinless roasted peanuts        

½ cup fried chickpeas (or 1 tbsp chickpea powder)

10 whole dried shrimp (optional)

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

½ cup fried butter beans

3 tbsp peanut oil

½ cup julienned cabbage

½ cup julienned tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

Minced chilies or chili sauce (optional)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.

Serve with a side dish of chilies for those who want to add some spice.

N.B.: To make Green Tea Leaf Salad (Lah Phet Thoke), substitute ½ cup pickled tea leaf for the ginger and eliminate the chickpeas.

Enjoy a global breakfast at Traders in Yangon

People who know my husband, John, and I are frequent international travelers often ask, “What about the food?” They are envisioning a plethora of strange, bizarre, and weird food items they have seen on television such as deep-fried bugs, beating frog’s heart, coconut grubs, and so on. The truth of it is that one would have to go out of their way to get most of the unique items featured in such shows. As strange as it may seem it is often easier for Americans to dine internationally than it is for foreigners to dine in America and Canada. America and Canada are a mix of nationalities so we have become used to choosing from a variety of ethnic restaurants whereas those who live in other countries have not had as much exposure to international foods.

When we are in Asia we are impressed by the variety of items on the breakfast buffets. Most hotels of any status try to provide something to whet the appetite of all nationalities. For the British guests there are always beans and grilled tomatoes. Americas can order bacon and eggs while the Japanese will enjoy miso soup with various side dishes to spice it up, the Chinese will find dim sum and congee, a rice-based porridge. Truly, visitors to America, especially Asian visitors, often have more trouble finding food they like than Americans do in Asia.

Traders Hotel, which is part of the Shangri-la family of hotels, is one of the few chain hotels represented in Myanmar and one of the finest. It is a centrally located, full-service hotel with a pool, spa, workout room, and restaurants. Their Yangon hotel breakfast buffet at Traders Café serves an incredible variety of food from around the world. There is even one section that has halal food for those of the Islamic faith.

Before selecting items for breakfast it is a good idea to take a tour of the buffet. From the Chinese section there is dim sum and noodle soup with all the fixings, plus congee – fish, chicken or plain. From the Japanese section guests could opt for miso soup, teriyaki chicken, braised pumpkin while the Myanmar section has mohinga, a fish–based soup that is the national dish of Myanmar. To please the Indian palate, and vegetarians, there may be potato curry, sambar, and for Malaysians there is char kway teow, which is a noodle dish that is the national dish of Malaysia, and one of my favorites. There will also be a variety of cheeses, fruits, vegetables, muffin, breads, yogurts, pancakes, and cereals – truly something for everyone. I complemented Chef Ting Thai Yii on his vast selection of items. I told him I miss the variety when I am in the United State because no restaurant serves such a range of global foods. He said, “If you would like I can share some recipes so you can make them at home and remember us at Traders in Yangon.” Here are Chef Ting recipes that are easy to make at home in the United States.

Indian Potato Curry
(makes four servings)
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup cooking oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp mined ginger
½ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp curry (or to taste)
¼ tsp mustard seed
2 cups water
1 tsp minced coriander leaves

Boiled the potatoes until fully cooked. Heat the oil in pan on medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, onion and tomatoes until brown. Then add chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt, curry, and mustard seed. Mix for a few seconds. And add potatoes and water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Malaysian Char Kway Teow
½ cup cooking oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 ½ tsp chili paste
6 prawns, (large shrimp) peeled and deveined
½ lb squid cut into rings
½ lb chicken sausages sliced
1/3 lb fish cake, slice
½ rice noodle
2 chicken eggs
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tsp diced chives

Sauce
1 tsp sweet soy sauce
1 1/3 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 1/3 tbsp oyster sauce
¾ tsp sugar
1 tsp chicken powder
1 1/3 tbsp dark soy sauce

Make sauce and set aside. Heat the oil in the wok; add the garlic and chili paste. Stir-fry for a few seconds. Add prawns, squid, sausage and fish cake and toss constantly until they change color. Add noodles; sprinkle sauce over it. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the noodles begin to soften. Push to one side. Scramble eggs on the side. Mix and cook a few minutes more. Add bean sprouts and toss. Garnish with chives. Ready to serve.

Yangon, Myanmar: Burmese Cooking

Our Yangon cooking class started with a tour of the outdoor market led by Mr. Ko Ko, the restaurant manager at the Ambassador’s Residence, and Ms. Htay Htay Lwin, his assistant. It quickly became a cultural tour. Mr. Ko Ko picked up a piece of bark, "This is not food. This tanaka. The women grind it into a powder and apply it to their face to protect it from sun." At a stall selling longyis, the traditional sarong-style garb worn by most adults in Myanmar, Mr. Ko Ko asked, "Do you know the proper way to wear a longyi?" Unwrapping his longyi, he explained, "The men fold it like this in the front with a twist knot. The women secure it on the side." We purchased fresh fish to make Fish Cake Salad and returned to the hotel in a 1940s mini-truck. After our lesson, which took place on the hotel’s expansive second-floor teak veranda, John and I savored the finished product while enjoying the view of the tropical garden. For more information check http://www.governorsresidence.com/.

Fishcake Salad – serves 2-4
Fishcake
1 lb. of minced fish fillet
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of chili flakes
1 cup of oil
Put minced fish fillet in a mortar. Add the salt, garlic, and ginger. Pound into a paste. Add turmeric and chili flakes; continue to pound until mixture is smooth. Shape the fishcake paste into pancakes and gently fry until golden brown, remove from the oil, place on paper to remove the oil. When it is cold slice the fishcakes into strips.

Salad
1 tablespoon fried onion slices
3 white cabbage leaves cut julienne-style
1 sliced tomato
1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon roasted chickpea powder

Mix the sliced fishcake with the cabbage, tomato, and onions. Season to taste with the lime juice and fish sauce. Add the chickpea flour and freshly chopped coriander, mix well, and serve
NB: Chicken can be substituted for the fish

Lemongrass Juice – 1 gallon
1 pound thinly sliced lemongrass (lower part only)
1 gallon hot water
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons sugar cane syrup
Crush the lemongrass slices into a smooth texture and soak in hot water. Let infuse for about eight hours. Strain, mix with freshly squeezed lime juice and sugar cane syrup, chill before serving. Decorate with a lemongrass stem and a slice of lime.
NB: This juice can be served warm with a dash of honey or turn it into a cocktail by adding a jigger of vodka.