MOSTLY RICE
IT’S NOT SURPRISING THAT RICE is mentioned in every chapter of this book: in this rice-eating land of Burma almost all dishes, from soups and salads to curries of all kinds, and condiments, are traditionally designed to be accompaniments to rice.
Beyond the meals centered around plain fresh rice, leftover rice is breakfast for many, lightly fried, with perhaps an egg or some cooked beans or meat on top. Rice is also cooked in coconut milk (see this page), or with oil and flavorings (see Fried Rice with Shallots, and Peanut and Rice Porridge). Sticky rice is the everyday rice of the Tai Koen people in eastern Shan State; it’s also the main ingredient in many of the dishes in the Sweets chapter.
Rice flour is used to make many noodles as well as sweet and savory confections of all kinds. Street-side snacks, from deep-fried crackers to savory crepes, are made from rice-flour batter (see the dosa-like Street-Side Rice Crepes, and Rice-Batter Crepes, an inventive cross between noodles and crepes).
From rice crepes, it’s a short jump to oven-baked flatbreads. I’ve included the tender naan-style flatbread known as nan-piar in Burma (see this page). There it’s baked in street-side tandoor ovens, but the breads are easy to make in a North American home oven.
MAKES ABOUT 8 CUPS; SERVES 6 TO 8
The classic rice of Burma is like Thai jasmine rice, delicately perfumed and aromatic as it cooks, and tender and slightly clinging when cooked. Use Thai jasmine as a substitute. This recipe for cooking the rice in a measured amount of water yields tender rice every time. It’s always a good idea to make more than you need. Leftover rice makes wonderful fried rice (see
this page).
3 cups Burmese rice or Thai jasmine rice
Water
Place the rice in a bowl or pot and wash throughly in several changes of water, swirling it around gently with your hand and then pouring the water off. Place in a heavy straight-sided pot (with a tight-fitting lid) or a rice cooker. Add water until the rice is covered by a depth equal to the first joint on your index finger: to measure, place the tip of your finger on the top surface of the rice.
Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Alternatively, cover and turn on the rice cooker.
Let the cooked rice stand for 10 minutes. Take off the lid, moisten a rice paddle or a flat wooden spoon with cold water, slide it down the inside wall of the pot or cooker, and turn the rice gently. Repeat all around the pot, gently turning the rice from the outside in. Serve from the pot; keep it covered.
Used as a base for soup by the Kachin and also as a thickener in sauces, soups, and vegetable dishes, toasted rice powder is easy to make, and it keeps well. Place about 1 cup raw jasmine rice in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spatula to move the rice around as the skillet heats, and continue cooking and stirring until all the rice is touched with light gold and aromatic, 5 minutes or so. Let cool for a moment, then grind to a powder in a food processor or, in batches, in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Let cool completely, then store in a well-sealed glass jar.
After rice is harvested, the rice straw is gathered. Here three Karen guys are tying the load of straw down, before driving it back to their village, in Karen State.
SERVES 3 OR 4
This simple way to use leftover rice is great for breakfast. Top it with a fried or poached egg or some cooked chickpeas (see below). Or serve instead of plain rice to accompany a meal.
2 to 3 tablespoons peanut oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric
Generous ½ cup sliced shallots
4 to 5 cups chilled cooked jasmine rice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup green peas (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)
Place a wok or a heavy, deep skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil, then add the turmeric and shallots and stir-fry until the shallots are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Raise the heat to high and use wet hands to break up any clumps as you add the rice to the pan. Add the salt and peas, if using, and stir-fry, pressing the rice against the sides of the pan to sear it. Continue cooking until the rice is hot (the peas should be cooked by then), add the fried shallots, stir-fry briefly, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with lime wedges on the side if you wish.
BREAKFAST RICE AND PEAS: This rice is breakfast for many people in Burma, topped with some tender chickpeas or cowpeas (see Peas for Many Occasions), and maybe an egg or a little leftover meat curry. After getting up in the dawn hours to photograph markets, I’ve often found myself looking forward to some version of the rice, peas, and fried egg combo around eight thirty. At home in Toronto, I top the rice with fresh coriander leaves or tender greens and a fried egg, and drizzle on one of the condiment sauces to give it a kick, most often Tart-Sweet Chile-Garlic Sauce.
Fried Rice with Shallots, made with green peas. It’s accompanied by a jar of Fresh Red Chile Chutney, a small bowl of cooked chickpeas (see Peas for Many Occasions), and, in front, a bowl of Fried Shallots.
