Recently we were invited to the Mood Food segment at the ABC Coast FM studios. We chose a traditional Burmese pickled vegetable dish called Thanat Sone which is a fabulous accompaniment to any curry and rice dish. The slight sourness and the crunchy texture of the vegetables give contrast and texture. With the garnish of toasted Sesame Seeds and crunchy fried Onions. ENJOY!
It’s all going too fast already and we’re only at Brisbane International Airport beginning our trip. Normally we have some time to poke around for some last minute duty free and trinkets, but this time only a chance to get Australian product gifts for my Burmese friends. Who doesnt love Tim Tams right?? Today they seem to be boarding so early, one hour and a half before hand.
We have a two hour stop over in Changi and of course we spend it in our customary hangout – Hari’s Bar.
Getting ready to board for Rangoon, it finally dawns on me that I am sharing this trip with my husband. My trips to Burma thus far, have all been solo voyages. My Australian husband, who is also a seasoned traveller of Asia, because of business, has never been to Burma, so I am very excited to be sharing this with him, and for me to also experience Burma through his eyes.
As we step off the plane in Rangoon, the humidity hits me. Its late and I know what awaits us after clearing customs.. taxi drivers and local baggage handlers grabbing and pushing. With a Iittle patience, understanding and realising its probably only a dollar or two they will have after carrying the suitcases the ten or twenty steps, its not really a big deal. Its not one of my favourite parts but everyone has got to make a dollar. I’m used it to it now but maybe for the new traveller this would be quite confronting. Its midnight by the time we reach our hotel, Clover, in the Bahan township. We’re tired and ready to shower and rest because we know we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.
Thorughout my blog there will be bold sections which are the snippet views from my travelling companion, trusty sharer of adventures and husband Steve.
STEVE: My first impression of Burma as I looked out our hotel window at 6am, was how quiet it was. Apart from the small street stall setting up for the breakfast rush, there was very little movement. But as each minute ticked by the street came to life. The food stall filled with patrons, women with baskets of bread and other wares balanced on top their heads,went door to door delivering the daily orders and periodically, loudly advertising their wares. But in general things happened at a more leisurely pace than I have experienced in neighboring Asain countries.
As we are so time poor, we dont want to waste a minute, so after breakfast and breathtaking views of the Shwedagon Pagoda in the distance, we freshen up and discuss our days plans with our host Phyo, who is also a writer for the Myanmar times and a famous cook.
We have time to make our way out and up the street before Phyo and her driver collect us, to take some pics of the locals and generally immerse our selves in the quiet, but busy local culture that presents itself. It is there that I feel excited to be back and immersing myself in this wonderful country, smiling faces and food, glorious food everywhere. Steve is equally as absorbed in it all, and as I wander about taking still photos he is roaming about doing some videoing. We are already grinning at each other like crazy kids, and I am nodding a ‘gday’ at the folk who are loving that we are so interetsted in it all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mla35qnG1tQ&feature=youtube_gdata_playerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mla35qnG1tQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
STEVE: A quick bite to eat and away we go. No real plan just follow our nose . We wander a local street filled with local stalls selling fresh produce and breakfasts to go. To many, this would be a sensory over load, both visually and olfactory, the freshly killed chickens and pork and fish still flopping around in baskets, the smell of durian fruit is pungent in the air, and the smoke from the charcoal stoves wafts into the street. We are surrounded by monks collecting any offering the stall holders can spare. Although they make a meager existence their generosity is overwhelming
I am really excited to be meeting Phyo. I knew her husband when I was living in Burma many years ago and when he heard I was travelling back to Burma, he so kindly suggested I meet with Phyo. So kindly she organised to collect us from our hotel and then to the supermarket to collect the ingredients we would need to cook the Rakhhine and Shan food that I am so eager to learn.
We went to Ocean Supermarket, an extremely modern and well appointed chain of supermarket, full of national and international foods, white goods and other products akin to our version of Kmart but complete with a pharmacy and a cafe. It was here that Phyo explained that all the local foods were now packaged and able to be taken home. Mental note to be grabbing a handful of these tidbits for the friends and family back home.
After this we were starting to have stomachs that were grumbling, after seeing and smelling so much of the snack fare that was going on in the supermarket. Moulasoun, cripsy quail eggs in a riceflour batter known as mini couple cake or Moun.lin Mayar, Lotus Fringe Cake, rice pancake with poppy seed or Hsan bein Moun and all sorts of wrapped steamed sticky rice treats. I wanted to try one of everything but sadly we then would not have enjoyed our lunch which was to be had at a at famous Rakhhine and Shan seafood restaurant.
We started the lunch with Rakhinne Mohingar, two types – one, the typical soupy version I am used to and also a Mohinga atho, much drier. With this we also had a mixed plate of akyaws or ‘fry up in batter’ – onion, yellow split pea, gourd and a morning glory type leave with a crispy prawn on top, we also had some fresh water squid which was stir fried with crispy garlic with the customary skin on, Shan fish curry, a softer and soupier version but with a lovely hint of what I thought was kaffir lime but Phyo informed me was miyandthee, add to all this a longer rectangle shaped mussel which was flash fried in garlic oil, a clear broth soup with tamarind leaves, rice and a chilli tamarind dipping sauce and we were eating like royalty. Of course as Aussies do, we certainly couldn’t enjoy this without a couple of bottles of Myanmar draught.
Superb, flavoursome, delightful, tasty, excitingly diverse and varied..I loved it all.
Back to Phyo’s house to discuss all things food and to take a little rest. It was here she began to show us how the flavours and items we had bought earlier were to be used to create Shan and Rakhhine food. For me, as someone who has predominantly been creating Burmese (Bamah and Mandalay) style food it was heaven sent to be taught and explained exactly how to achieve and create these new flavours which I fully intend to bring home to the very receptive market of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
Market was extremely busy being that it was a pubic holiday. The youth were all about eating and drinking and hanging out, so to speak, not dressed in their traditional clothes like I was used to seeing, now jeans and dolce and gabbana tshirts were common place. Im not sure what my travelling companion thought of the crazy colour and sound of the market, but I loved it and did not want to leave. There we purchased fresh fish, prawn heads, more fresh vegetables, and other various items to be utilised.
On our return to Phyo’s house after the markets we began to plan the cooking process. This deserves a blog post of its own so stay tuned till the next one which will be complete with pics and an overview of a recipe as well.
Rather than just copy the RECIPE of my version of traditional Burmese Ohno-Kaukswe I thought I would just put the link up so you could also listen to the ABC in-studio recording of the MOOD FOOD segment with Annie Gaffney if you wish.
I pictured this on my FACEBOOK page last week and it got lots of LIKES and the people who I made it for enjoyed it immensely.
So give it a go and give me some feedback and maybe post me a pic or two of your dish being enjoyed by family and friends.
blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2012/06/ohno-kaukswe-chicken-coconut-curry-noodle-soup.html
It’s a cold and grey old rainy day in Shelly Beach, Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, so I am taking this “indoors” time to do more planning and researching for the big trip that will soon be upon us.
As I research the weather pattterns for my period of travel to Burma, it dawns on me that its going to be, in the words of Adrian Cronauer from the movie ,Good Morning Vietnam, HOT, DAMMMN HOT.
My trusted World Climate info from Google search tells me that the weather in this period is generally between 25 to 37 with averages mainly around the 30 mark..Thats fine really – After all that’s a standard Summer in Queensland, Australia – Its the humidity that always gets me though.
So far we’ve locked in our accomodation in Yangon and done extensive research on Bagan and Mandalay. I am hoping to find a guide who will be happpy to take us off the beaten track and avoid the cliche path that the normal tourists do, with the hope of fully immersing ourselves in the local custom and food paths that they would traverse each and every day – Simple tasks and activities such as buying fruits and vegetables at the local market, stopping to sip a soupy noodle dish street side (whilst people watching), relaxing in a tea house and chatting with locals and just soaking up the atmosphere and all there is in its colourful noise and atmosphere, and in the evenings to a firmer itinerary of catching up with local friends to chat, video and discuss, whilst they cook and show me some techniques in their homes.
As I mentioned in my last blog, my desire is to cover “all bases” -To experience every aspect – Well at least as much as one can in an 8 day period.
I have begun discussion with a ‘friend of a friend’ who is interetsted in assisting me with this in Mandalay. The regions of Burma are quite diffferent, especially food wise, so I am keen to enhance the Shan and Rakhine style of food, which in fact I know little about. As I said this trip is to learn, to taste, to experience and understand better, so I too can come back well equipped to create menus that are diverse and varied. I shudder to think that one would ever refer to my products as ‘same old same old’ or ‘old hat’. Did you know that Burma also has a ‘Masterchef’ style television show – Now that I’ve gotta see!!
This trip really could not have come at a better time. I have more recently embarked on a ‘retail’ range of Take Home Heat & Eat products for the time poor family or indiviual, and the first of, hopefully, many freezers has been placed in at a spice emporium called Red Hot Chilli Pepper in Caloundra, Queensland. www.redhotchillipepper.com.au
With a basic range of four staple curries and 3 condiments, already proving popular and a potential ‘household’ name, and with some Asian inspired gluten free gourmet sausages being tested and tweaked for retail readiness, I believe this trip will be exactly the subject matter required to arm me with next ‘line’ of products to unleash on the wider, Sunshine Coast and foodie audiences all around. Stay with me folks – It’s gonna be exciting!
One should seek out ones dusty copy of Kipling..well maybe not quite..But one is very excited at the prospect of returning to Burma.
The last time I was in Burma was from 2002 till 2004 and on contract as an English teacher. This time however I will be returning with my husband with a whole new agenda and passion – THE LOVE OF FOOD.
As a small operator of a mobile catering business on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, I have had the enormous pleasure of sharing and introducing Burmese cuisine to my local community for the last year and a half.
But, I too need to get the creative juices flowing so to speak, so it is my intention to sit street side and soak up as much knowledge as I can, to gain more tips and know-how and immerse myself in the gastronomic excitement of street side, home style and professional hospitality culture that is happening and all that is synonomous with food in Burma.
On a whim we booked our tickets. And so the countdown begins. I am in nervous anticipation and have begun planning itineraries and internal travel plans, ideas of what to do first, where to go and what to eat and of course I am eager to share a Myanmar draught or two whilst getting to catch up with old friends and expats still living there.
March cannot come soon enough.
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