MARKET BY CANDLELIGHT
Hsipaw market scenes. TOP AND FAR LEFT: Vendors crouch or sit on low stools by their produce in the pre-dawn candlelight. MIDDLE: A butcher’s stall first thing in the morning. LEFT: Fresh fish at the market.
TO REACH HSIPAW, I rode in a share-taxi with no shock absorbers and unreliable brakes up a sometimes scary winding road from Mandalay. People grew wheat up in the Shan hills, as well as barley—a surprising sight in the tropics. Rows of cauliflower and other temperate-climate vegetables grow in terraced gardens. I would have loved to stop to take a closer look and ask the farmers about their crops, but the share-taxi lumbered on past, leaving me with many questions unanswered. Six hours later we reached Hsipaw.
The next day, I got up well before dawn and headed out to Hsipaw’s morning market. The going was slow there, for the market street was crowded. A candle or two lit each small display: a few fresh fish; a stack of small cauliflowers; handfuls of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and leafy greens of every kind; curved slices of pumpkin; cooked sweet black sticky rice. Some were on low tables; most were on a piece of cloth or plastic on the ground. A few vendors had small fires going to help warm them in the predawn chill. People threaded their way carefully, occasionally pausing and crouching to take a closer look at the food on offer. A line of monks walked through on their morning alms round and the crowd parted to let them pass.
As the sky lightened, sometime after six, one by one the vendors pinched out their candles and packed up. They carried everything off the street and (as the authorities had decreed) moved to a nearby open area by the river, where item by item they unpacked and set up for a second time. During my stay in Hsipaw, I returned daily to the market in the dark. And every morning, as the sun came up over the river, the market was gilded with radiant light, transformed.
SERVES 4 TO 6
This shrimp salad makes an enticing appetizer. The shrimp are briefly fried and then dressed with minced chiles, chopped scallions, and a blend of fish sauce and lime juice. Cucumber gives a refreshing crunch.
About 1 pound medium to large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and rinsed
3 scallions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
½ medium English cucumber
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 teaspoon fish sauce
About 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt (optional)
Place a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then toss in the shrimp and stir-fry just until they turn pink, a minute or two.
Transfer the shrimp to a cutting board. Slice on the diagonal and place in a shallow bowl. Add the scallions.
Cut the cucumber into 1½-inch lengths and slice each length into julienne (you should have a scant cup). Add the cucumber, coriander, and chile to the shrimp and toss lightly. Add the fish sauce and lime juice and toss to mix well. Taste and add a little salt if you wish, then toss and serve immediately.
shrimp and winged bean salad
You can substitute 10 to 12 winged beans (see Glossary) for the cucumber. Briefly cook them in a little boiling water until barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes; drain, trim off the tough ends, and cut into ½-inch-thick slices on the diagonal.
fish cake salad with shaved cabbage
SERVES 4
This is great hot-weather food, served as an appetizer at a Western meal or as part of a rice meal. The crispy greens are a pleasing contrast to the smooth bite of the fish cake slices. You can make the fish cakes up to a day ahead, then slice them and assemble the salad at the last minute.
DRESSING
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
About 1 cup grated or shaved Napa cabbage or Savoy cabbage
1 green cayenne chile, minced
About 1 tablespoon chopped coriander or mint
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
Slice each fish cake into 2 to 4 strips and place in a bowl. Add the cabbage. Whisk the dressing once more and pour over the fish cakes. Toss gently to distribute the dressing. Sprinkle on the chile and chickpea flour and toss again. Top with the fried shallots and chopped herbs and toss to mix. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary, before serving.
poached fish salad with shallots and herbs
SERVES 4 AS A LIGHT LUNCH, 6 AS AN APPETIZER
This recipe starts with fresh fish fillets, but you can instead use leftover fish, poached or baked or grilled, as people in Burma do. Use any fish you like, from trout or salmon to haddock, tilapia, or sea bass.
About 1½ cups water
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
1 teaspoon salt
About 1 pound fish fillets, rinsed
DRESSING
¾ cup thinly sliced shallots, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
½ to 1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons minced green cayenne chile
¼ cup chopped coriander, or mint, or Vietnamese coriander (see Glossary)
Pour the water into a small pot with the lemongrass, bring to a boil, and add the salt. Add the fish and bring the water back to a boil, then cover, lower the heat, and poach at a strong simmer just until the flesh is opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Remove the fish from the water and set aside on a plate to cool. Reserve the poaching water for another purpose or discard.
When the fish is cool enough to handle, shred loosely into bite-sized pieces and place in a shallow bowl. Add the shallots, lime juice, shallot oil, fried shallots, ½ teaspoon salt, and the green chile and mix together well. Taste and add a little more salt if you wish. Top with the chopped fresh herbs and toss again briefly. Serve at room temperature.
chicken salad, burma style
SERVES 2 AS A LIGHT LUNCH, 4 AS AN APPETIZER
Almost any leftover cooked ingredient can be made into salad, and often is, say my Burmese friends. If you have leftover cooked chicken, as I often do after making chicken broth from whole legs or roasting a chicken, transform it into this refreshing salad. Serve as a light main course for lunch, or as an appetizer.
About 2 cups large bite-sized pieces cooked chicken (cut or pull the chicken into pieces)
⅓ to ½ cup thinly sliced shallots, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons minced green cayenne chile, or to taste
Scant ½ cup chopped coriander, or mint, or Vietnamese coriander (see Glossary)
Place the chicken in a shallow serving bowl. Add the shallots and toss.
Mix together the lime juice, shallot oil, salt, and green chile in a small bowl or cup. Pour over the salad and, using your hands, mix thoroughly. If you have the time, let stand for 10 minutes.
Just before serving, add the toasted chickpea flour, if you wish, the fried shallots and herbs, and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
