RICE AND PRAYER
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Rice fields outside Hpa’an in late November. A woman winnows rice at the main market in Kengtung in eastern Shan State. A monk in prayer at Shwedagon.
INTENSELY GREEN RICE PADDIES, water everywhere, and soft gray clouds and mist draped in patches on the horizon: those were my first images of Burma as the small plane came circling in to land in Rangoon thirty years ago. It was July, the heart of the rainy season. When I stepped out of the plane, the air was heavy with moisture. As we came into the city, the trees and landscape were lush, densely green. The golden dome of Shwedagon, the huge hilltop temple complex that towers above Rangoon, gleamed against the dull sky.
The city has grown since then, engulfing the farmland around it; tall buildings sometimes block the view of Shwedagon. But those early images remain vivid in my mind’s eye, reminders that although not everyone eats rice every day, and not everyone is a Buddhist, for most people in Burma, rice and Buddhism are part of the fabric of life.
chinese kale (or broccoli rabe) with pork cracklings
SERVES 6
I learned this salad from a Shan woman who was born and raised near Inle Lake and now lives in northern Thailand, not far from the Burmese border.
The original recipe used Chinese kale, a broccoli-like green that is widely available in Asian groceries (where it’s often labeled gai lan, its Cantonese name) and in large supermarkets. Broccoli rabe is a delicious alternative.
The greens are dressed and flavored with roasted peanuts, coarsely ground pork cracklings, and aromatics.
1 pound Chinese kale or broccoli rabe
2 tablespoons peanut oil
¼ cup minced garlic
Scant 2 cups fried pork skin (chicharrones), store-bought or homemade (see Glossary)
2 mild white onions or 4 shallots, very thinly sliced lengthwise (1½ cups)
2 or 3 small Roma (plum) or other fleshy tomatoes, cut into thin wedges (about 1½ cups)
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Toss in the greens and cook for several minutes, until starting to soften. Drain thoroughly and set aside to cool.
Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, or until a rich golden color. Set the garlic and oil aside.
Pound or process the fried pork skin to coarse lumps and powder in a mortar or food processor (you should have about 1½ cups). Set aside. Pound or process the peanuts briefly to reduce them to a coarse powder, and set aside.
If using the soybean disk, lightly toast it over a flame or in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until aromatic. Pound or process it to a powder.
Slice the greens into ½-inch lengths and place in a large bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and use your hands to blend them together thoroughly. Taste and adjust for salt if you wish.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Broccoli Rabe with Pork Cracklings; Banana Flower Salad, Rakhine Style; Tender Greens Salad with Crispy Fried Shallots; and some tamarind liquid.
SERVES 4
Crunchy and a little hot from the fine slices of raw shallot, smooth textured from the eggplant, this salad has a nice balance of tart lime juice and aromatic shallot oil. It’s one of my favorites: I serve it with any and every kind of meal. It’s also a great dish for a potluck.
1 pound long Asian eggplants (3 medium)
⅓ cup thinly sliced shallots, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
About ¼ cup coarsely torn coriander, finely chopped mint, or Vietnamese coriander (see Glossary)
Preheat the oven to 450°F or preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-hot.
Prick the eggplants all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet in the center of the oven, or place on the grill rack about 5 inches above the fire. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until brown and very softened. Or if grilling, turn the eggplants to expose all sides to the heat, until cooked through and very soft, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Once the eggplants are cool enough to handle, separate the flesh from the skin and stem: you can either cut the eggplants lengthwise in half and scrape out the flesh, or cut off the stems and then peel off the skin. Place the flesh in a bowl (you should have about 1½ cups). Mash with a fork, leaving it a little lumpy.
Add the sliced shallots, shallot oil, and lime juice, then mix thoroughly. Add the fried shallots, salt, and herbs and mix again. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
banana flower salad, rakhine style
SERVES 6
Banana flowers are like artichokes, tightly layered leaves with an enticing astringent flavor. They’re beautiful too—dark-red to purple tapered cones. They are now often available here in Southeast Asian groceries. For this dish, you need a fairly small one, as fresh as possible, so its color is bright and it’s firm to the touch. If you want to double the recipe, use 2 small banana flowers rather than 1 large one.
Unlike the Shan and Thais, who use banana flower raw in salads, people in Rakhine State cook it first. Its slightly bitter taste is very appealing, here balanced and softened by shallot oil and the sweetness of fried shallots. If you taste the cooked chopped banana flower before you add the seasonings, you’ll notice an aroma like that of cooked artichoke, and its astringency will hit you. As you add ingredients, the flavor balance shifts in a delicious way.
This is also a great example of the way meals in Burma are composed of dishes that complement one another. Eaten on its own, this salad is intense; eaten as part of a meal, it comes to taste wonderfully necessary. Serve it with a slightly sweet mild dish such as
Eggplant Delight, or as an accompaniment to roast pork or grilled lamb.
1 small banana flower (about ¾ pound)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon fish sauce
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Bring a medium pot of water to a vigorous boil. Put in the banana flower, cover, and cook at a strong boil until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Test by piercing it with a knife: if the knife slides easily into the center, it’s done. Lift out of the water and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
Peel off 2 or 3 of the outer leaves of the banana flower and discard. Cut the banana flower into 5 or 6 chunks, place in a food processor, and pulse several times, just until you have a coarsely chopped mass. Turn out into a bowl, add the peanuts, sesame seeds, fish sauce, salt, and shallot oil and toss. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary, then add the fried shallots and toss again.
Serve at room temperature.
