Crispy Chris

This is one of the most popular dishes in Burma and there are probably as many recipes as there are families in Burma.  Here is my version of it which was passed down to me by my mother who was born and brought up in Burma before the Second World War.  I had the pleasure of cooking it for John Levine of www.happyandhealthyhour.com fame.  He loved it but why don’t you ask him yourself?

THE INGREDIENTS;

• 500 gm boned chicken breast or thighs diced
• onions;  2 medium finely chopped
• garlic;  1 teaspoon crushed
•  root ginger;   quarter teaspoon grated
• turmeric;  half teaspoon
• paprika;  1 teaspoon
• dried chilli flakes; half teaspoon or to personal taste
• 2 tablespoons of chick pea flour (Besam)
• 1 400ml tin of coconut milk or cream
• 600ml of chicken stock
• salt;  quarter teaspoon preferably sea or rock salt
• Thai fish sauce;  2 tablespoons
• cooking oil;  4 tablespoons preferably ground nut or light olive oil
• Chinese egg noodles for 2 persons.
• water; as necessary (see method)

THE METHOD

For the marinade mix the fish sauce and half the turmeric. Place the chicken in a bowl and mix thoroughly with the marinade and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently sweat the onions with the salt until translucent and soft (about 5 mins) then add the garlic and ginger and sauté for around 3 mins (do not allow the garlic to burn).

Next add the rest of the turmeric, paprika and crushed or flaked chillies.  Stir in quickly and add a few drops of water when the mixture gets dry and starts to stick to the pan.  The secret of a successful sauce is to stir it every 10-20 seconds adding a little water as needed to keep it moving.   Keep this process going for about 10 minutes until the spices are cooked. 

Add the chicken and stir fry until sealed then add the chicken stock and the coconut milk and simmer gently.  Mix the chick pea flour with 200mls of cold water adding the water to the flour a little at a time to stop it lumping.  Pour this mixture through a sieve into the soup stirring all the time until well mixed in and simmer gently for half an hour in total.  Check the seasoning and add more fish sauce if it is lacking saltiness.

Cook the required amount of noodles following the instructions on the packet as there are too many varieties available for me to tell you how to cook them.

PLATING UP

In a deep soup bowl place a handful of noodles and pour enough soup and chicken over the top to completely cover the noodles and use a spoon and fork to eat it.

GARNISHES

 The following garnishes should be served separately in little bowls and sprinkled over the dish by each diner to suit their individual taste;

Crispy-fried onions, garlic and noodles all fried in the same oil

Chopped spring onions, coriander and chillies

And not for the feint-hearted, toasted dried birds-eye chillies – SUPERB

If you need help or advice on any of my recipes or would like to comment on them or if you would like to suggest a recipe to read out on the Healthy and Happy Hour then please contact me on chris@stonetime.co.uk . I’m always pleased to hear how the food turns out.

209 Radio

BURMESE FOOD

Have you ever wondered why there are no Burmese restaurants around? I guess not. Until the killing of Buddist Monks during the civil unrest in 2008 put Burma (now Myanmar) into the media spotlight, a lot of younger people wouldn’t have known the country existed.  After all, it’s not a known holiday destination and doesn’t generally hit the headlines.

It is a combination of factors that has prevented Burmese cuisine from being brought to the rest of the world unlike its three neighbours India, China and Thailand (even my little village of Bottisham has an Indian restaurant and a Chinese takeaway that also does Thai dishes!). 

Firstly, Burma is in the grip of a brutal military regime which for many years has closed its borders and taken on pariah status due to its appalling human rights record.  This has meant that the Burmese people have not been able to enjoy international travel and the widespread poverty resulting from the gross mismanagement of the country’s affairs means that international travel would be unaffordable to all but the privelaged few.  So, there is no one to open and run Burmese restaurants.

Secondly, assuming you can find Burmese chefs outside Burma (and there are plenty living as refugees in Bangladesh and Thailand) how would they get over here and how and why would they set up their own restaurant?  It’s a daunting enough challenge to open a restaurant in England even if you’ve lived all your life here so it would be especially difficult with an unfamiliar cuisine.

Thirdly, because buddism plays such a role in Burmese culture, the Burmese people generally do not pursue money the same way we do in western society.  I know this is a sweeping generalisation but I have heard the Burmese people being described as “unambitious due to their Buddist values”.

Having said that, I do know of the only Burmese Restaurant in Europe and that is at 444 Edgeware Road in West London and is called the Mandalay ( www.mandalayway.com ).  On the couple of occasions I have visited there on the off-chance, they were fully booked so I have never eaten there although members of my family have and they say the food is great.  I am pleased to say that a Burmese food shop has recently opened in Wood Green in North London called Mum’s House.  You can check them out at www.mumhouse.com .

So, once a year I put on a Burmese Dining Experience on behalf of the Cambridge Food and Drink Festival ( www.camfoodfest.co.uk ) to give people the chance to taste this wonderful cooking style for the first time.  It is always successful and now that I have Cook’s Barn I plan to turn it into a Burmese Restaurant for one evening a month so if you’re interested in trying it then drop me a line at chris@stonetime.co.uk and I will add you to the growing list of aventurous diners.

Thought for Food

Cooks Barn