HOTEL CALIFORNIA
Detail of a beautiful chedi on the outskirts of Kengtung. Before independence in 1948, the town was the capital of the largest of the Shan states. Kengtung lies a half-day’s drive north of the Golden Triangle, the place where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Burma meet.
KENGTUNG is an old princely kingdom and a center of Tai Koen culture that dates back more than six hundred years. The town is a long way from central Burma, and very isolated. It’s a two-day drive from there west to Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, but that road is closed. So is the road to the Chinese border, a couple of hours north, which has a wild reputation for drugs, gun-running, and gambling. The only access to Kengtung is by airplane from Taunggyi or by road from Thailand.
I traveled from Thailand to Kengtung with a friend, arriving just before dark. We didn’t want to waste a moment of our short time there, so we set out from our guesthouse on foot that first evening. With little electricity in the town and no moon, the stars gleamed in the black night. We found our way uphill through the remains of a gate in the old city wall and then down a steep slope to the lake in the middle of town. We were looking for a café, bar, or any sign of life, but the streets were deserted, the bars empty.
Two days later, in the middle of a hot sunny afternoon, we walked down the same steep hill to the lake. We had a better understanding of the town by then, for we’d poked around the main market, chatted with people at cafés and temples, and walked miles. As we neared the water, we heard an unexpected sound: “Hotel California,” the old Eagles song, was playing at full blast inside one of the houses that faced the lake.
A skinny young Chinese man appeared in a doorway. When he saw us, he waved us over and then he invited us into his place. He had a huge collection of music videos and pirated CDs, mostly covers by Asian artists of rock-and-roll tracks from every decade. He was a guide who was out of work because, with the road to China closed, there were no Chinese tourists. His solace is rock music. And so he sits all day in that house by the lake, smoking cigarettes, listening to music, and dreaming of the USA.
coconut sauce noodles
[OHN-NO KHAUT SWE]SERVES 6
This rich meal-in-a-bowl is the one many foreigners say is their favorite dish from Burma. The Burmese name, pronounced “oh-no kao sway,” is a simple compound of the terms for coconut (ohn-no) and noodles (khaut swe).
Ohn-no khaut swe in its most elaborate form also includes fish balls, given as optional in the recipe. I love the chicken sauce-broth so much that I often serve it on its own over rice or pasta, with simple cooked greens or a green salad on the side. Lime wedges and a chile sauce such as
Tart-Sweet Chile-Garlic Sauce or
Sour-Plum Chutney with Chile Oil are good condiments for the table.
I prefer dark meat, so I begin with about 2 pounds chicken legs (two whole legs), but you can use breasts if you prefer. I cut most of the meat off the bones, and use them to make the stock, but you can use boneless chicken and already-made broth (both options are set out below).
2½ pounds bone-in chicken legs or breasts; or 1½ pounds boneless chicken
BROTH (IF USING BONE-IN CHICKEN)
5 cups water
3 or 4 slices ginger
2 shallots, halved
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1½ teaspoons salt
¾ cup water
3 tablespoons peanut oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1½ cups minced shallots, plus (optional) 1 cup small whole shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup canned coconut milk
1½ pounds fresh egg noodles or 1 pound dried egg noodles
ACCOMPANIMENTS AND TOPPINGS
2 hard-cooked hen or duck eggs, sliced (optional)
2 limes, cut into wedges
1 cup thinly sliced shallots, soaked in water for 10 minutes, drained, and squeezed dry
If you are using bone-in chicken, cut the chicken off the bones. Set the meat aside.
To make the optional broth: Place the bones in a medium pot and add the water, ginger, and shallots. Bring to a boil, half-cover, lower the heat, and simmer for an hour. Remove the bones, ginger, and shallots, or strain the broth into a large
saucepan. You should have about 4 cups broth; add water if necessary. (The broth can be made ahead and stored, once completely cooled, in a well-sealed container in the refrigerator; it can also be frozen.)
Meanwhile, about 30 minutes before the broth is ready, chop the reserved chicken meat or the boneless chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in a bowl, add the fish sauce and ½ teaspoon of the salt, and mix well. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes.
Bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
Put the chickpea flour in a small bowl, add ½ cup of the water, and whisk to blend it into a paste, then stir in the remaining ¼ cup water. Scoop out some warm broth and whisk or stir it briskly into the chickpea mixture so there are no lumps. Add it all back into the broth and whisk to incorporate it smoothly. Set aside.
Place a large wok or wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and then the turmeric. Stir, then add the minced shallots and cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the chicken and stir-fry until all the meat has changed color. Add the chicken broth and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, then add the coconut milk and whole shallots, if using, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the oil rises to the surface, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put on a large pot of water to boil. Put out six large soup bowls.
Drop the egg noodles and fish balls, if using, into the boiling water. Lift out or drain when the noodles are cooked through, about 4 minutes for fresh noodles, 7 for dried. Place about 1 cup noodles in each soup bowl. Ladle over the sauce generously. Top with 2 or 3 fish balls, if using, some fried noodles, and several slices of egg, if you wish. Put out the remaining fish balls, fried noodles, and egg slices on a platter, along with the lime wedges, chile powder, and shallot slices, so guests can top their soup as they wish.
Coconut Sauce Noodles topped with sliced shallots, fried noodles, slices of hard-boiled egg, a sprinkling of chile powder, and a squeeze of lime. More accompaniments await in the background.
