THE JOURNAL
King Prawn Curry with Pae Pote at Lahpet. Photograph by Ms Kathrin Werner, courtesy of Lahpet
The key ingredients, dishes and regional flavours you need to know, plus, where to sample the cuisine outside of Myanmar.
“The aroma from a bubbling pot of pork and green mango curry; the vision of a rainbow salad of rice, carrots and coriander; the crackle and crunch of a handful of split pea fritters.” Ms MiMi Aye is introducing Burmese food to me, a preponderance of textures and spices, and it’s making my stomach gurgle. “It’s a feast of the senses,” she concludes. Ms Aye should know. Born in Britain to Burmese parents, she is author of the anticipated book, Mandalay: Recipes And Tales From A Burmese Kitchen (out in June), as well as founder of supper club, Burmese Food and Beyond.
She’s also partly responsible for restaurant pundits predicting Burmese cuisine as about to boom. Until a decade ago, it’s estimated there was only one Mandalay restaurant in London. Now there are places blossoming far and wide, from Lahpet in London’s Bethnal Green, one of the hottest Burmese restaurants in the UK, to the contemporary Cafe Mandalay in Huddersfield. Yet for many outside the community, the food of Myanmar, until recently a country closed for several decades, remains unknown. Consequently, it seems timely to step in and unravel some quandaries on eating it.
The key ingredients
Newbies need to know about ngapi. “It’s the most iconic ingredient.” Ms Aye says. Translating directly as “pressed fish”, this indispensable ingredient is “similar to Thai shrimp paste and provides a double whammy of salt and savoury,” she explains. It’s at the core of many curries, dips and side dishes. Next on the must-know list is ngapi’s cousin, dried shrimp, “used to provide umami in soups, salads and vegetable dishes. Because of this and our love for ngapi, vegetarians are actually quite rare in Burma.”
Another all-important player is ground turmeric, “to marinate fish or chicken, it’s a key spice in many curries, and in chutneys and pickles.” Alongside these, co-founder and head chef of Lahpet, Mr Zaw Mahesh says that the average Burmese pantry should have “peanut oil, shallots (fresh for salads and curry bases and fried for garnishing) shallot oil (produced from frying shallots), garlic, ginger, chili, lime, coriander, tamarind paste, roasted peanuts and coconut milk.”
Getting your regions straight
It’s not that long ago that Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan dishes were lumped under the umbrella of “Indian” food. Inexcusably, some people were too lurdan to distinguish the culinary nuances of these countries. So, let’s start afresh with Myanmar. Its recipes vary from family to family, town to town, landscape to landscape. “The nearer you are to each bordering country (China, Thailand, India) the more obvious the influences become,” explains Mr Mahesh. “Shan State borders China, so expect more noodle-based dishes in this cuisine. Northwest, towards Bangladesh and Indian states Nagaland and Assam, it’s all about the curry. There’s a wider use of different spices.” Then there’s the Andaman sea influencing the southern region’s larder. “Here, they’ll use mackerel in mohinga, as opposed to catfish, which is most widely used across Myanmar.”
The dishes you need to know
This brings us to the unofficial national dish, mohinga. A breakfast staple you’ll find across the country in different accents, it’s described as “a fragrant fish, lemongrass and rice noodle soup” by Ms Aye. Tohu kyaw, or chickpea tofu fritters, is another undisputed gem. Do try lahpet thoke (see below for where to eat it), a lively salad with pickled tea leaves. And look out for the Kachin tribe’s famous-across-Myanmar Kachin chicken.
Where to eat
In London, the venerable godfather of the scene is Mandalay Golden Myanmar on Kilburn High Road. For a contemporary riff, Lahpet is the place redefining Burmese food, with its inventive spin on dishes such as lahpet thoke, comprised of pickled tea, fried beans, cabbage, dried shrimp, sesame and garlic oil. Also important to order is the balachaung dumpling, slow-cooked pork shoulder and pickled mustard curry with pea shoots and star anise. Cafe Mandalay, off London’s Old Street, is much fêted for its incandescent veg curry. Up in Manchester, Nila’s Burmese Cafe is highly rated by Ms Aye, who divulges that its tamarind pork and lemongrass chicken curry is a speciality.
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