Snacks and Sweets

Go just about anywhere in Myanmar and you’ll find someone selling snacks. It’s an extreme kind of pop-up restaurant culture, where all it takes to get started is a spot on the side of the road, equipment to start up a fire, and a wok.
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In the morning, people line up in front of vendors making fritters—Burmese tempura, some call it—to put on top of their bowls of mohinga. In the late afternoon, people start to line up again to eat a snack on their way home from work.

In Mandalay, Myo Naing Oo—who studied hospitality in the United Kingdom—decided to gather some of the country’s best street-snack foods and sell them at his upscale restaurant MinGaLaBar, which he opened in November 2014. From 3:00 p.m. until just before dinner, the restaurant turns to tea and snacks, offering regional favorites from coconut agar-agar and semolina cake to steamed banana blossoms and sticky rice served every which way. It’s an impressive display of the breadth of Burmese nibbles.

While we like to categorize these kinds of foods as appetizers or desserts in the States, in Myanmar, sweets and snacks can be eaten at any time of day—and during any part of a meal. That’s why this chapter combines them. It’s not unusual to have a cup of tapioca pearls and palm sugar over ice served alongside fish curry. Tea shops, where people go for their fix of Myanmar Tea, are also major places for snacking, and are evolving into places for eating full meals. At Burma Superstar, one of the most addictive snacks on the menu—platha—is also served at many good tea shops. A rich, buttery flatbread, platha can be made savory or sweet. For best results, pair the treats in this chapter with a drink from the previous one.

LOTUS ROOT CHIPS

Lotus root—the stem of the lotus plant—looks like sausage links when whole and lace doilies when sliced. Because of its high starch content, this vegetable makes a good alternative to potato for frying into chips. You can get as creative as you’d like when seasoning these chips. Tamarind salt is good, but so is Japanese furikake or Mexican chile salt seasoning. Lotus root can also be sliced slightly thicker and added to brothy soups, such as Sour Leaf Soup, for texture. When buying lotus root, look for a whole root that feels firm. For this recipe, avoid presliced lotus root found in vacuum-sealed bags (it will be hard to slice up thinner). To ensure thin, even slices for this recipe, use a mandoline. A Japanese Benriner slicer is dependable and inexpensive.

MAKES 8 TO 10 CUPS

12 ounces lotus root (about one 5-inch segment)

1½ cups canola oil

Salt or Tamarind Salt

Peel the lotus root and slice crosswise into nearly paper-thin strips. Soak for 10 minutes in water. Drain the slices and spread on a kitchen towel to wick away excess water.

Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Have a spider or slotted spoon handy.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, add one lotus root slice. If bubbles form around the slice right away, the oil is ready for frying. Fry the lotus root chips in batches (overcrowding the wok will cause the chips to stick together), stirring often, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat if chips start turning dark brown in spots but still look raw.

Lift the chips out of the oil with the spider and scatter on the paper towels. Season with salt and repeat with the remaining chips. The chips will crisp up as they cool. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.

PLATHA MAN

At night in the office above the Oakland restaurant, Har San makes the dough for platha, an insanely good buttery flatbread. It’s a perfect setup: he has plenty of room to spread out on the stainless steel table, turn on the TV, and watch Burmese soaps while he works.

Har San was born in a village in Mon State, southeast of Yangon. His parents are farmers, and growing up, he and his siblings ate what they grew. “If you wanted beef, you had to kill a cow,” he says. Har San is Muslim, and every so often his local mosque would hold a feast, killing a cow and cooking it for the whole village.

When he left Myanmar to seek job opportunities, he ended up in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he learned how to make platha, a buttery multilayered flatbread cooked on a griddle. Chiang Mai is also where he met his wife, Rahima (see her recipe for Sour Leaf with Bamboo and Shrimp). After they were married, Rahima returned to the refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border where she grew up. The plan was to gain refugee status in order to eventually come to the United States. Har San stayed put selling platha until the local police shut down his operation and sent him to Rahima’s camp. The couple lived there for three years before being resettled to Oakland in 2007 with the help of the International Rescue Committee. Har San estimates he had about seven years’ experience making platha before coming to the States.

In Oakland, Har San’s platha skills weren’t being used until someone told Tiyo Bestia about him. At the time, Tiyo was the Oakland and Alameda restaurants’ general manager, and she was on the lookout for skilled cooks from Myanmar. She invited Har San to come in and demonstrate what he could do, and he showed up to the interview with his entire family. The next day, he had a job.

Making platha the traditional way—with a quick throwing motion that stretches a piece of dough into one thin sheet—takes about a month to learn, he says. He first mixes the dough in a large bowl by hand (he tried using a mixer once but didn’t think it worked as well). He makes a bulk batch, divides it into balls, and then dredges the balls in a mix of butter and oil. He stretches the dough into a translucent sheet, drizzles it with more butter and oil, and then folds it up so it’s ready to be griddled at the restaurants.

The recipe on this page has been modified so that you don’t need four weeks of practice before making platha. However, for those ambitious types, here’s how Har San shapes each flatbread: Flatten the ball of dough into an 8-inch round. With your dominant hand, palm facing up, gently lift the edge of the dough and pinch it slightly between the lower inside part of your thumb and your palm (not with your fingertips). Gently pick up the other side with the other hand, palm facing up. In a smooth, quick motion, move your dominant hand over your other hand and then move it back so the dough is being flipped over, stretched, and flipped over again in one fast, smooth motion. Gently pull and shape the dough into a very thin, square-ish layer. Now it’s ready to be drizzled with butter and oil and folded up.

PLATHA

With its buttery layers, this flatbread—also called paratha and roti—is the Asian answer to the croissant. The great part is how low-tech it is: you can do everything with your hands, no mixer or oven required. Feel free to practice the professional technique (see this page) or simply follow this modified method for home cooks. If using the professional technique, consider shaping the dough into 4 portions instead of 5 to give you larger pieces of dough to stretch.

Burma Superstar serves platha with Coconut Chicken Curry, but in Burmese teahouses, it’s also common to eat the bread as a breakfast treat or sweet snack. To do this, right before heating up the griddle, flatten a round of dough, add mashed banana, and then fold the dough over and seal the edges. Once the pastry has been griddled, sprinkle sugar or drizzle a little condensed milk over the top if desired.

MAKES 5 FLATBREADS

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons canola oil

Before you start, have ready 2 large mixing bowls and a large cast-iron pan or griddle (a well-seasoned wok works too).

In a large bowl that offers room for mixing the dough with your hands, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pour in ¾ cup of the water.

Using a circular motion, mix the water into the flour until a tacky mass forms. Then pull it into pieces: pluck golf ball–size pieces of dough from the mass (still keeping everything in the bowl) until the mass has been completely picked into pieces of dough. Punch the dough down a few times with your fists to knead it and bring it together. Repeat one or two more times. (This helps develop the elasticity of the dough).

Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of water over the dough. Knead in the water by squishing the dough with your hands and punching it down. Once the water is incorporated, the dough should stick to your hands. If it is dry, knead in more water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 to 50 minutes. The dough should feel soft and squishy through the plastic wrap.

Put the melted butter and oil into a separate large bowl.

Uncover the dough and pull into 5 pieces roughly 3 ounces each. Shape the pieces into balls and put them in the bowl with the melted butter, coating them on all sides. Cover the dough and let rest for 30 minutes. Keep the bowl in a place warm enough that the butter won’t solidify. (If it does, fill another large bowl with hot water and place the bowl in the water to remelt the butter.)

Butter your palms with the butter from the bowl and smear a layer of butter on a work surface, preferably one that is not wood (which will absorb the oil). Put the balls on the surface.

For each ball, using your fingertips, start at the edges and pat the dough into an 8-inch round. Lift the edges of the dough with your fingertips and pull it gently toward you, shaking the dough up and down so it slaps against the surface as you stretch it. Stretch all sides of the dough this same way until you form a very thin square-ish shape about 14 inches across (or more). The dough should be thin enough that it is mostly translucent, like a foggy window. (It’s okay if you have a couple of holes in the dough.) In places that are thick, spot-stretch it with your hands. If the dough resists stretching, work on another piece of the dough and come back to the stubborn one later. This lets the gluten in the dough relax a bit. If the dough folds on top of itself, simply pull the folds apart.

Once the dough is stretched out, dip your fingertips in the butter from the bowl and smear it across the dough. Fold one long side into the center of the platha. Drizzle lightly with more butter and oil. Fold the other side over until you have a long strip of folded dough. Then fold the dough in half again and again until you have an imperfect ball of dough. (If air pockets form, that’s a good thing.)

Tuck the edges under to create more of an even ball and let the dough rest 20 minutes. Alternatively, place the dough in an oiled container. At this point, the platha can be refrigerated to be cooked later that day or up to 3 days later, or frozen for 1 month. (Defrost the dough overnight).

To cook the platha, flatten the ball of dough into a disk about 10 inches wide. Heat a large cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium heat. Once a drop of water sizzles on contact, put the platha in the pan and cook until evenly browned and golden in parts, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and continue to cook until golden brown on the other side and cooked through in the center, about 3 minutes more. Serve whole or cut into wedges.

YELLOW SPLIT PEA CRACKERS

Street vendors in Myanmar are expert fryers. These so-called tempura experts make it look easy, but in truth, frying requires practice, especially when making these crackers, a classic topping for Mohinga. The best tool for this job is a small, shallow perforated ladle (a smaller version of what’s pictured on this page), which is easy to find at Asian grocery stores. The ladle allows you to scoop up the yellow split peas while shaking off excess batter. (You only really need enough batter to hold the split peas together, no more.) Otherwise, use a regular ladle or a spoon but drain off extra batter before pouring the split peas into the oil. For the crispiest crackers, don’t skimp on the amount of frying oil. Serve with mohinga or as a snack with Tamarind Ginger Dressing.

MAKES 8 TO 10 CRACKERS

½ cup yellow split peas

¼ cup rice flour

3 tablespoons chickpea flour

¼ teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning

½ cup water

1½ cups canola oil

Cover the split peas with about 1 inch of water. Soak at least 4 hours or overnight.

Drain the split peas through a fine-mesh strainer, shaking off the excess water.

In a bowl, combine the flours and salt. Stir in the water to create a loose batter. Add the split peas and mix well. The batter will look thin, and that’s a good thing: it should only lightly coat the split peas.

Line a plate with paper towels. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but before it starts to smoke, begin frying the crackers.

Give the batter a good stir. In batches of 2 or 3, gently drop 1½ to 2 tablespoonfuls of batter into the wok for each cracker. To help the batter hold its shape, it helps to gently pour in the batter close to the surface of the oil. The fritters should spread out in the oil like silver dollar pancakes and be about 3 inches wide. Fry the crackers until they are light golden brown, about 2 minutes, nudging them a bit at the beginning to prevent them from sticking the bottom of the wok. Using a spider or metal spatula, flip the crackers over and fry about 2 minutes more or until both sides are golden brown and crispy.

Transfer the crackers to the paper towels and season with a pinch of salt. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil if needed or running a perforated ladle through the oil to clean up extra bits of batter between batches. Crackers are best the day they are made, but they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

SHAN TOFU

Think of Shan Tofu as the polenta of the Burmese kitchen. It is made in a similar way (cooked in a pot with water) and can be sliced up and fried once cooled. This basic home-style recipe from Myanmar’s Shan State has become so popular that you now see it all over the country. Burma Superstar has its own take (see Fried Yellow Bean Tofu), but this recipe is the old-school version. It’s perfect in Shan Tofu Salad, but it also fries well and is great as a snack eaten with Tamarind Ginger Dressing. You can deep-fry it in a wok, but it also crisps up nicely when seared with a little oil in a nonstick pan.

MAKES ONE 8 BY 4-INCH BLOCK; SERVES 8

1 cup chickpea flour

1 teaspoon salt

Scant ½ teaspoon turmeric

3 cups water

Lightly oil an 8 by 4-inch loaf pan or a similar-sized food storage container.

Whisk the flour, salt, turmeric, and 1 cup of the water. Let rest 10 minutes.

Transfer the chickpea mixture to a 4-quart pot. Over low heat, whisk in the remaining 2 cups water and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon (preferably one with a straight side to scrape the bottom of the pot), until the puree is chunky and about as thick as Play-Doh (and similar in texture when you touch it), 5 to 8 minutes. It will also leave a film on the bottom of the pot.

Pour into the oiled pan and flatten as best as possible. (It’s okay if the top isn’t smooth, but a small oiled offset spatula can help spread it out.) Let cool for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before making Shan Tofu Salad. Once set, unmold the tofu and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each rectangle crosswise into thin strips if using in a salad or into ½-inch pieces if frying (follow the instructions for frying yellow bean tofu on this page). Alternatively, refrigerate for up to 5 days.

FRIED YELLOW BEAN TOFU

In this less traditional version of Shan tofu, yellow split peas lend texture while cornstarch and wheat starch help hold it together, especially when it’s frying. (Wheat starch is available at Asian grocery stores, and it helps smooth out the texture of the tofu. You can skip it, but be prepared for a chunkier texture.)

Once the tofu has cooled and set, you can slice it and fry it. Tamarind Ginger Dressing, Sweet Chile Sauce, or any kind of ginger-soy sauce are also great with the tofu. Extra fried pieces can be diced and mixed into Rainbow Salad or Superstar Vegetarian Noodles in place of the regular soybean tofu.

MAKES ONE 8 BY 4-INCH BLOCK; SERVES 8

½ cup yellow split peas

2 cups water

⅓ cup chickpea flour

⅓ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons wheat starch

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon turmeric

1½ cups canola oil

Tamarind Ginger Dressing, for dipping

Cover the split peas with about 1 inch of water. Soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain the split peas through a fine-mesh strainer, shaking off the excess water.

Lightly oil an 8 by 4-inch loaf pan or a similar-sized food storage container.

In a blender or food processor, blend the split peas and 1 cup of the water. Blend thoroughly for a few minutes until it’s as smooth as you can make it. Blend in the flour, cornstarch, wheat starch, salt, and turmeric.

Transfer the puree to a 4-quart saucepan and whisk in the remaining 1 cup of water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon (preferably one with a straight side to scrape the bottom of the pot), until the puree is about as thick as Play-Doh (and similar in texture when you touch it), 5 to 8 minutes. It will also leave a film on the bottom of the pot.

Pour into the oiled pan and flatten as best as possible. (It’s okay if the top isn’t smooth, but a small oiled offset spatula can help spread it out.) Let cool for 20 minutes at room temperature and then refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

Once the tofu is set, unmold it and slice it in half lengthwise. Slice each rectangle crosswise into ½-inch pieces.

Line a plate with paper towels. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but before it starts to smoke, fry the tofu pieces in batches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer the tofu to the paper towels and season with a pinch of salt. Serve hot with tamarind ginger dressing.

SAMOSAS

Samosas have long been favorite Burmese tea shop snacks. There, they are served with a lime wedge alongside tea or with a tangy dip; Sweet Chile Sauce and Tamarind Ginger Dressing are good candidates. Samosas are also often torn into pieces and added to soup or sliced and mixed into a salad (see Samusa Salad)—more evidence that in Myanmar, anything can be turned into a salad.

There’s no question that making samosas takes some time and planning, but one recipe makes a lot, and they freeze well. Make a bunch and freeze some for Samusa Soup. Or make half a recipe. To spread out the workload, make the filling the day before and refrigerate. Bring it to room temperature before shaping the samosas. Spring roll and lumpia wrappers come in slightly different sizes. If the squares are smaller than 6 inches, use a bit less filling. Most packets contain 25 wrappers, but some contain 20. If you have leftover potato filling, warm it up and serve it as a side dish or mix it into Samusa Soup for a thicker broth. An alternative to frying samosas is to bake them. It yields a chewier result, but for the purposes of Samusa Soup, it isn’t that noticeable. To bake them, brush both sides of the samosas with oil and bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Turn the samosas over and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

MAKES 25

2 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 1¼ pounds), peeled and cut into chunks

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for frying

½ cup minced yellow onion

½ jalapeño, minced

½ cup frozen peas

2 tablespoons minced cilantro

1 tablespoon minced mint

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon Garam Masala

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

25 large 6- to 7-inch-square spring roll or lumpia wrappers (see this page)

2½ cups canola oil

In a small pot, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.

Strain the potatoes and return to the pot. Using a fork or a potato masher, mash the potatoes coarsely (you don’t want them to be smooth).

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and jalapeño and cook, stirring often, until the water has evaporated and the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the onions and jalapeños to the potatoes along with the peas, cilantro, mint, salt, turmeric, and garam masala and stir to incorporate. If the potatoes are still on the warm side, let the mixture cool to room temperature. (Alternatively, refrigerate for assembly the next day. Let it come to room temperature before using.) You will have about 4 cups, which is a little more than you’ll need.

Whisk the flour and water together in a small bowl. Have a damp towel handy for wiping off messy hands.

Separate one wrapper from the package and keep the remaining in the package to prevent them from drying out.

To shape each samosa, dip your finger into the flour and water and dampen the wrapper in three horizontal lines: along the top edge, across the center, and along the bottom edge. Fold the bottom edge over the top edge and seal to form a rectangle. Put your finger in the center of the bottom edge of the rectangle. Keeping that finger in place, fold the right side up so that it forms a 60-degree angle with the bottom edge.

Dampen under the edge and press to adhere. Fold the left side completely over to form a flattened cone, making sure that the point of the cone does not have a hole. Dampen those edges and press to adhere them. Check your work by opening up the cone and checking for gaps.

To fill, spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the filling into the cone. Make a gap between the filling and the wrapper. Tuck the flaps into the gap and then press to seal the edges, dampening the edges if needed.

To fry the samosas, in a wok or 4-quart pot, heat a generous inch of oil (about 2½ cups) over high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. To test if the oil is hot enough, hold the edge of a samosa in the oil and see if bubbles quickly form on the surface.

In batches of 5, deep-fry the samosas, turning the heat to medium-low within the first 30 seconds of frying, until deeply golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the samosas over frequently and baste the tops so they brown evenly. If they brown rapidly within the first 2 minutes, the oil is too hot. Turn the heat off for a few seconds and then turn it back on.

Transfer to the baking sheet to drain and season with salt as they cool. Before frying the remaining samosas, cut one fried samosa in half to see if the samosa wrapper is completely fried.

Cooled samosas can be frozen for up to 1 month and reheated in a 350°F oven until hot in the center, about 15 minutes.

YELLOW SPLIT PEA FALAFEL

Along with the samosas, these fritters go into Samusa Soup. While they are actually closer to India’s moong dal vada, the restaurant staff likes to call them falafel, which they resemble in appearance. Soak the split peas before blending them in a food processor. To add to the Samusa Soup, first break up the falafel into pieces. On their own, they’re a great snack with Sweet Chile Sauce or Tamarind Ginger Dressing.

MAKES 14 SMALL FALAFEL

1 cup yellow split peas

2 handfuls cilantro, coarsely chopped

½ jalapeño, coarsely chopped

¼ cup chopped red onion or shallot

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon Madras curry powder

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon Garam Masala

1½ cups canola oil

Cover the split peas with about 1 inch water. Soak at least 4 hours or overnight.

Drain the split peas through a fine-mesh strainer, shaking off the excess water. Pulse the split peas in a food processor until they form a coarse paste. Add the cilantro, jalapeño, onion, salt, curry powder, turmeric, and garam masala and pulse just until the ingredients are incorporated. The paste should still have some texture and feel wet.

Using your palms, shape the dough into 14 two-tablespoon balls. Flatten the balls slightly. These falafel will be soft, so they don’t have to be perfectly shaped.

In a wok or 4-quart pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a tiny amount of batter into the oil and see if it floats quickly to the surface.

In 3 batches, lower the falafel gently into the oil. Decrease the heat to medium and fry until deeply golden brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes, nudging the falafel a bit at the beginning to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the wok. Using a spider or slotted spoon, flip the falafel over and cook until the remaining side is deeply golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to the baking sheet to drain and season with salt as they cool.

If saving falafel for a future batch of Samusa Soup, keep in mind that cooled falafel can be frozen for up to 1 month and reheated in a 350°F oven until hot in the center, about 15 minutes.

BLACK RICE PUDDING

There are so many ways to modify this Southeast Asian comfort-food dessert to make it yours. Skip the coconut cream and go with a big scoop of coconut ice cream if decadence is your thing. Crushed peanuts, toasted almonds, or sesame seeds, can add a bit of crunch if that’s what you’re after. For the rice, though, only one will do: look for deeply purple glutinous rice. It cooks more evenly when soaked overnight.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Rice

1½ cups black sticky rice

1½ cups water

1 teaspoon salt

Simple Syrup

½ cup chopped palm sugar or white sugar

½ cup water

Coconut Cream

1 (13½-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

1 tablespoon grated palm sugar or white sugar

Pinch of salt

Serving (any or all of the following)

Sweetened condensed milk

Toasted sesame seeds, toasted sliced almonds, or chopped peanuts

1 mango or 2 bananas, diced

Cover the rice with about an inch of water and soak overnight.

Drain the rice through a fine-mesh strainer, shaking off the excess water. Put the rice, the 1½ cups water, and salt in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the lid starts rattling, lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, give the pot a stir, and continue to cook with the lid off for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the simple syrup. In a small saucepan, combine the ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely and the liquid has thickened enough to lightly coat a spoon, 6 to 10 minutes. Pour the sugar syrup over the cooked rice and stir with a fork. Cover the rice and let it sit for 10 more minutes.

To make the coconut cream, heat the coconut milk, the 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt in a small high-sided pot over medium heat. As the milk heats up, it will start to splatter. To avoid too much mess, stir often and keep a towel handy. Once the milk starts bubbling, lower to a gentle simmer and cook until it has been reduced to about 1 cup and easily coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Serve the coconut rice warm or at room temperature. Drizzle a little condensed milk in each bowl. Scoop a generous spoonful of rice in the center of the bowl and spoon the coconut cream on top. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and mangoes.

SEMOLINA CAKE

One of the most widely found desserts in Myanmar, this chewy, not-too-sweet cake is a perfect accompaniment to Myanmar Tea. Although semolina is in the name, the cake doesn’t use the type of semolina flour you might be familiar with from Italian cuisine. Instead, there are two options: farina, finely ground cereal grains (and the main ingredient in Cream of Wheat), which can be found among Middle Eastern ingredients at food stores; or suji (also spelled sooji), a pale, grainy flour sold in Indian grocery stores. The traditional topping for semolina cake is white poppy seeds, which are sold in Indian and Japanese food stores. Using sliced almonds in their place (or leaving them out) is fine too. An aromatic (preferably unrefined) peanut oil gives the cake a pleasant nutty flavor, but melted butter or canola oil will also work.

MAKES 18 PIECES

1 cup farina or suji

1 cup white sugar or chopped palm sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

1 (13½-ounce) can coconut milk

1½ cups water

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons white poppy seeds or ¼ cup sliced almonds

2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking pan.

Spread the farina on a rimmed baking sheet and toast until aromatic and lightly browned, 15 minutes.

In a 3-quart (or larger) pot, whisk together the sugar, salt, coconut milk, and water. Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until the sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes (this will take longer for palm sugar than for white sugar).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. To temper the eggs (and prevent them from scrambling), drizzle about ½ cup of the hot coconut-sugar liquid into the eggs while whisking continuously until incorporated. Whisk the egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the coconut-sugar liquid and cook, whisking continuously, for 1 minute.

Pour the farina to the egg mixture gradually, whisking well to avoid lumps. Switch to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon and cook the batter, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes. The batter will thicken quickly, but keep stirring until a film forms at the bottom of the pan. Stir in the oil.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the poppy seeds evenly over the top. Bake until lightly set, with the sides bubbling, about 35 minutes. Dot the butter on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes more to let the butter melt into the cake.

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Cut into 3 strips across and 6 strips down to make 18 rectangles. The cake keeps covered, at room temperature for a few days.

COCONUT AGAR JELLY

While desserts aren’t common after a meal in Myanmar, some restaurants do serve a small plate of this coconut jelly, each piece speared with a toothpick to make for easy eating. The flavor is simple but cooling after a garlic- and chile-filled meal. The best part about the dessert is how the coconut water naturally separates from the coconut cream, creating a layered dessert. This recipe has been re-created to make the separation more dramatic, with a separate layer of coconut water and coconut flakes added for texture.

Agar-agar is a seaweed-based alternative to gelatin, but it works in a similar way. The big benefit of agar-agar over gelatin (other than its being vegan) is that it sets at room temperature. The range of agar-agar products—from flakes to powders premixed with sugar—is broad, and they are not interchangeable. For the purposes of this recipe, seek out the natural agar-agar flakes from Eden.

MAKES ONE 8 BY 4-INCH LOAF; SERVES 10

First Layer

1 (13½-ounce) can coconut milk

½ cup water

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup agar-agar flakes

Pinch of salt

Second Layer

1 cup coconut water

1½ tablespoons agar-agar flakes

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons dried unsweetened coconut flakes

Lightly oil an 8 by 4-inch loaf pan or a similar-sized food storage container. You can also opt to line with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the edges of the long sides. (This can help with unmolding but is not essential.)

To make the first layer, in a 2-quart pot, whisk together the coconut milk, water, sugar, agar-agar, and salt over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer until the agar-agar and sugar have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot and give it a good stir if it looks like it’s going to boil over.

Pour into the prepared pan and let the jelly almost set at room temperature, 45 minutes to 1 hour. (You can tap the jelly on top with your finger to see how firm it’s become.)

To make the second layer, in the same pot, whisk together the coconut water, agar-agar, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until the agar-agar and sugar have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Let sit for a couple of minutes and then pour over the bottom layer. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and let set completely, about 1 hour. If you want it to set faster, refrigerate it.

Once the jelly has set, cut it into slices. The jelly refrigerated, keeps for about 1 week.