MEETING MONK
The Sitagu Sayadaw.
ONE DAY IN DAWEI, in southern Burma, I returned from an excursion out of town to find my small quiet hotel bustling with people. A tall foreigner standing outside explained that they were all in town for “the hospital opening.” The Sitagu Foundation had financed a hospital for Dawei. (The foreigner was a Belgian doctor who donates his services to the foundation for several weeks a year.)
As we were chatting, some other men from the foundation came over and invited me to join them for supper; “we can go hear the Sayadaw after,” they said. I didn’t understand what they meant but was happy to go along.
Over our meal they told me about the Sayadaw (“Sayadaw” is a title for a learned senior monk). The Sitagu Sayadaw has been a monk since he was a small boy. Now in his early seventies, he is a lifelong student of the dharma. But he’s a kind of muscular Buddhist, believing that people need to take an active role to help relieve suffering and meet the needs of communities in want—which is why he established the Sitagu Foundation. He raises money for the foundation at home and abroad and mobilizes people to help build the hospitals and schools the group pays for. My supper companions told me that his vision and his practical approach have gained him followers all over the world.
Every evening the Sayadaw gives a dharma talk, a talk about Buddhism. It was about eight thirty by the time we left supper and drove a few miles to a dry rice field at the edge of town, near the new hospital. A generator powered the lighting on the raised platform on which the Sayadaw was sitting, talking into a microphone. His tone was personal, confidential. On the sloping ground before him a crowd of more than 500 sat listening. The lights from the stage illuminated their faces, leaving other details in darkness. The sky was full of stars.
As I sat on the ground listening and watching, I could understand only a few words of the Burmese, but I could feel the warm attentiveness of the crowd. The Sayadaw’s voice was resonant and assured. Occasionally he did a question-and-response kind of thing with them—or he’d get them laughing. One of the people with the foundation told me the gist: It was about karuna, a fundamental Buddhist concept that best translates as “compassion,” the desire to remove harm and suffering.
Next morning was the hospital opening, with banners, flowers, and speeches. Then the Sayadaw was shown around the wards. His cheerful, intelligent energy and personal charisma were remarkable. He animated the patients just by being there, asking questions, noticing everything, it seemed. And then he was gone, off to the small Dawei airport with his entourage to catch a plane to Rangoon. He had another dharma talk to give that evening.
silky shan soup
[TOHU BYAWK]SERVES 4 OR 5
At morning markets in Shan areas of Burma and northern Thailand, there is always at least one vendor selling this thick, smooth, pale yellow soup for breakfast, hot and enticing, often poured over fine rice vermicelli. Alongside they sell
Shan tofu, either in large chunks to take home or cut up and dressed as a salad (see
Shan Tofu Salad).
You don’t have to restrict yourself to breakfast, however: serve this vegetarian soup at any meal. On its own or over tender noodles, topped with chopped coriander or other fresh herbs, it’s comfort food par excellence.
1½ cups chickpea flour
2½ teaspoons salt
8 cups water, or more as needed
¾ pound fresh rice vermicelli or soba noodles or ½ pound dried rice noodles (see Glossary; optional)
½ cup chopped coriander
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS AND CONDIMENTS
¼ cup Palm Sugar Water (recipe follows)
1 cup or more chopped blanched pea tendrils
A handful of tender lettuce greens
Combine the chickpea flour and salt in a medium bowl and add 2 cups of the water. Whisk well to blend and to get rid of any lumps (if you are having difficulty getting it perfectly smooth, press it through a sieve). Set aside for the moment.
Bring the remaining 6 cups water to a boil in a wide heavy pot, then lower the heat to medium-high. Whisk the chickpea mixture one more time, then, using a wooden spoon, stir continuously as you slowly add it to the boiling water; the liquid will foam at first. Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring to ensure that the mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pot. After about 5 minutes the mixture will be smooth and silky, with a sheen to it, and thickened. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring for another couple of minutes. (If you are not going to serve it immediately, cover tightly to prevent a skin forming and set aside. When you want to reheat it, add a little water to loosen it, since it will thicken as it cools, and heat over medium heat. Whisk a little as it heats to prevent lumps from forming.)
If serving noodles bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in the noodles: fresh ones will cook in 1 or 2 minutes; dried ones will take about 5 minutes. Lift the noodles out of the water and set aside.
Put out any or all of the suggested toppings and condiments, as you choose.
Serve the soup sprinkled with the coriander. Or, if serving the soup over noodles, place some noodles in each bowl, ladle the hot soup over, and sprinkle on the coriander.
Invite your guests to help themselves to the array of toppings and condiments, then stir it all together and eat with pleasure.
NOTE: If you have soup left over, pour it into a bowl and refrigerate. In a few hours, it will set into Shan tofu.
Silky Shan Soup, served with rice noodles and toppings.
palm sugar water
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP
This almost-black liquid is a basic seasoning seen on many street-food vendors’ carts and it gives a slightly sweet and smoky aftertaste to many street dishes, especially those of Shan origin. Make sure you buy darker-colored palm sugar; the darker sugar has a smokier taste and less sweetness.
Pour 1 cup water into a small heavy saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Add ¾ cup chopped palm sugar (¼ pound or so) and stir with a wooden spoon to help it dissolve as the water heats. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool, and store in a clean glass jar, well labeled, in a cupboard or pantry.
chickpea soup with lemongrass and ginger
SERVES 4
Chickpeas are often eaten for breakfast in Burma. They’re also used to make soothing soups like this one: cooked until tender, then flavored with a little hot oil and aromatics. Serve as a hearty winter soup with rice or bread and a vegetable side.
1 cup small brown or large white dried chickpeas, soaked for 8 hours in water to cover and drained, or 2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2½ cups cooked chickpeas
2½ to 5 cups water, or as needed
1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and smashed
2 slices ginger
⅛ teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons minced coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges
If using dried chickpeas: Put the chickpeas in a pot with 5 cups water, cover, and bring to a vigorous boil. Lower the heat slightly, maintaining a strong boil, and cook, partly covered, until the chickpeas are softened, 1 to 1½ hours, adding extra water if necessary to prevent them from sticking.
If using canned or cooked chickpeas: Place the chickpeas in a pot with 3 cups water, if canned, or 2½ cups, if home-cooked. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft.
Mash the chickpeas, mashing some completely and leaving others just a little broken, or pulse several times in a food processor. Add the lemongrass and ginger slices to the chickpeas, along with more water if necessary to give a soupy texture (you should have about 5 cups of soup). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the turmeric and shallots and sauté until the shallots are softened and translucent. Add the shallots to the soup, with the salt, and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or at room temperature, topped by the minced coriander, and put out the lime wedges so guests can squeeze on lime juice if they wish.
tomato-chickpea soup
Add 2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped (or 1½ cups crushed canned tomatoes), to the sautéing shallots. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, then add to the broth and continue with the recipe. You won’t need the lime wedges.
mimi’s bean soup with tender leaves
SERVES 4 OR 5
A friend named Mimi introduced me to this beautiful soup. She uses large
butterfly beans (
bei leikpya in Burmese), which are pale green beans tinged with pink that look like exotic limas. You can substitute fresh or frozen lima beans. The beans are cooked in water with lots of shallots to make a mild, slightly sweet soup. Near the end, handfuls of fresh greens or leaves are added.
In Mimi’s garden in
Rangoon, we gathered the delicate tips of a cucumber-like vine and other tender leaves. In Burma the leaves are added as much for their medicinal properties as for their flavor. Their beauty is another good reason for adding them; this is a very attractive soup to serve to guests.
Use a mixture (at least two or three different kinds) of coarsely chopped greens. Depending on the time of year, and the climate you live in, possible choices include pea tendrils, sawtooth herb, sorrel leaves, nasturtium leaves, tender endive, or other tender leaves. The soup is light on the tongue, a great foil for fried dishes.
1 cup shelled fresh butterfly beans, or substitute fresh or frozen limas
4 cups water
1½ cups minced shallots
¼ teaspoon turmeric
About 2 teaspoons fish sauce or soy sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, to taste
2 cups loosely packed greens, such as coarsely chopped sorrel, sawtooth herb, nasturtium leaves, pea tendrils, and/or others of your choice
Place the beans in a medium pot, add the water and shallots, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the turmeric, lower the heat to maintain a strong simmer, and cook until the beans are tender, adding more hot water if needed. If using precooked frozen beans, they’ll be ready very quickly; otherwise, timing will vary with the freshness and size of your beans.
If you wish, process the beans and broth to a puree before proceeding; return to the pot.
Add the fish sauce or soy sauce and salt to taste. Bring to a gentle boil, stir in the greens, and serve.
Put out a chili sauce, if you wish, for guests who like to spice things up.
Mimi’s Bean Soup with Tender Leaves, topped with a dash of chile sauce.
