RHYTHMS OF HPA’AN
Scenes from the wonderful market in Hpa’an, capital of Karen State. CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM: The loaded cycle rickshaw is carrying bananas on the stem and a stack of greens. The painted hats of Karen women contribute another layer of beauty to the market. Papaya slices for sale. A woman chooses her watermelon.
IT’S A LIVELY MARKET TOWN, Hpa’an, set in a beautiful Chinese-painting-like landscape of limestone hills and rice fields. The markets are full of produce and prepared foods of all kinds; the streets are busy, lined with tea shops, tailor shops, little restaurants and eateries, and more. The Salween River flows past the town, which is the capital of Karen (now Kayen) State, wide and smooth and beautiful.
The boat from Moulmein, an old ferry, makes the trip up the Salween every afternoon, arriving in Hpa’an at sunset, when the sky and river are aglow. The trip is peaceful, for the river now has very little traffic, apart from local fishermen in small boats.
The more important artery for Hpa’an these days is the road. Rangoon is about five hours’ drive to the northwest, and less than seventy miles due east as the crow flies lies the Thai border, across a chain of steep mountains. No wonder Hpa’an is prosperous, since all the traffic to and from the border passes through town.
My first night there, I went out with a friend to eat at a small restaurant. There were six or seven curries to choose from, and side dishes aplenty, to have with our rice and Mandalay beer. Next evening when I returned to the same eatery with a couple of other travelers, there was very little choice of food and the restaurant was empty. It seemed odd, the difference, so I asked the owner of my guesthouse about it later that night.
“Oh, it’s the one-way road,” he said. “The last fifty kilometers of road toward the border are winding and dangerous going through the mountains, so they made the road one way, on alternating days. Today was eastbound, so drivers headed out to the Thai border. Tomorrow is westbound. Tomorrow night you’ll see, the restaurants will be busy because of all the incoming traffic.” Aha! The ebb and flow of life in Hpa’an.
deep-fried street-stall chicken
SERVES 6
This is great street fare, especially when eaten with a tart dipping sauce, but you don’t have to go to Burma to enjoy it. Deep-frying chicken is easy at home when the chicken is cut into small pieces.
You will have to fry the chicken in batches unless you have a large deep-fryer. I usually deep-fry in my large wok, but you can also use a wide pot.
Serve as an appetizer with one or more of the sauces suggested below, or as a main with rice, a green salad, and a vegetable curry.
2 teaspoons kosher salt or sea salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
3 to 4 tablespoons fish sauce
Peanut oil for deep-frying
DIPPING SAUCE OPTIONS
Trim off any loose skin and any excess fat from the chicken. Rinse it, pat dry, and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle on the salt and turmeric and rub them into the chicken, then pour on the fish sauce and turn and stir to ensure all the chicken is coated with flavor. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.
When ready to proceed, put several paper-towel-lined plates by your stovetop. Have a spider or slotted spoon and a pair of tongs handy. Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a large stable wok, deep cast-iron skillet, or wide heavy pot and heat to 350°F. Check the temperature of the oil with a thermometer or by holding a wooden chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon upright in the oil, and touching the bottom of the pan. If the oil bubbles up along the wood, it is at temperature.
Slide 2 pieces of chicken into the hot oil, taking care not to splash yourself with oil, then another couple, and then, after a pause (to let the oil heat back up), another one or two; the chicken pieces should be in one layer. Move the chicken pieces around and turn them over occasionally. They will gradually change color, turning a pale gold and then a deeper red-brown. Cook until they are a rich red-brown, then lift them out, pausing to let excess oil drip off, and place them on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
SERVES 2 TO 4
This is another dish from Cho Cho, a marvelous cook I visited near Bagan (see
this page). She fried some drumsticks and thighs in a wok set over a wood fire, using this simple method, which guarantees that the chicken will be cooked through with no risk of burning the skin.
The chicken is first steamed briefly, then shallow-fried. Cho Cho fried the pieces whole; I like to steam them whole and then chop them smaller for frying, to get more crispy fried surfaces.
Serve with a dipping sauce as an appetizer or as part of a meal with a fresh salad or green vegetable. I usually make
Sticky Rice when I am serving fried or grilled chicken; it’s great with the dipping sauces and other accompaniments.
2 chicken drumsticks and 2 thighs, rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
About ½ cup water
Peanut oil for shallow-frying
ACCOMPANIMENTS
Put the pieces of chicken in a wok or a deep cast-iron or other heavy frying pan and place over high heat. Sprinkle the salt onto the chicken pieces, then pour the water down the side of the wok and cover as tightly as possible. When the water has come to a vigorous boil, lower the heat slightly, maintaining the boil, and cook until the pan is nearly dry, about 5 minutes. Pour off any remaining liquid, reserving for another purpose. and wipe out the pan.
Use a cleaver (or chicken shears) to chop each drumstick and thigh into 2 or 3 pieces. Put the chicken back in the wok, place the wok over medium-high heat, and pour about ⅓ cup oil down the side of the wok. Fry the chicken, turning the pieces frequently to expose all sides to the hot oil, until the skin is crisp and golden and the meat is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve hot.
