Burmese Ohn Htamin - Cooked in the Microwave Oven

Ohn Htamin
(Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk)

I've blogged before about making Ohn Htamin on the stove top and that recipe is fine if you have ample time on your hands to saute the onions and rice prior to setting it to simmer on the stove top. Here is a quick and easy way to achieve the same results when there's no time to waste. It is almost a guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

Soon after we arrived in Canada in 1977, we bought our first microwave oven. It was an expensive piece of equipment but because it was such a new technology, I was wary of using it to its full potential. Boiling water for tea or coffee, reheating left-over food or thawing a frozen piece of fish or poultry was about the extent of its use in our home.

Three decades later, the microwave oven is proving to be an integral part of my kitchen. I've progressed to making quite a few dishes in the microwave oven and like it because it cuts down dramatically on the cooking time.

This method of preparing Ohn Htamin is the perfect example of how useful an appliance it is!

Burmese Ohn Htamin Neh Pazun Sipyan - A Microwaved Meal in Less Than 30 Minutes

Clockwise from Left:Ohn Htamin Neh Pazun Sipyan
Ohn Htamin
Pazun Sipyan
Fruit Salad

This Burmese meal was on the table in under half an hour because it was cooked in a microwave oven. Allow about 10 minutes preparation time to wash and drain the rice, thaw and peel already deveined shrimp and to assemble the ingredients. This is the perfect meal when guests drop by unannounced around dinner time and will feed 4 people. Serve a fruit salad for dessert for a light but festive meal.

Ohn Htamin
(Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk)

This Ohn Htamin or Rice Cooked in Coconut Milk was made in the microwave oven in just 18 minutes. That is unheard of when rice has to be cooked on the stove top or in a rice cooker. You will find the recipe here. 

Pazun Sipyan
(Tangy Coconut Shrimp Curry)

Add 4 minutes to that and accompany this rice with a delectable Burmese Tangy Coconut Shrimp Curry or Pazun Sipyan, which was also cooked in the microwave oven. Here is the recipe.

Just one can of coconut milk was used for this dinner. The creamy solids that collect at the top of the can were scooped up with a spoon and used in the shrimp curry and the rest of the coconut milk was used in the rice. The ratio of rice to liquid is 1:2, so the difference in liquid, after measuring the coconut milk, was made up with chicken broth.

Fruit Salad

The fruit salad comprises segments of navel orange, red seedless grapes and segments of apricot. A light, cool and refreshing end to a delectable Burmese meal! For another variation on the fruit salad, take a look at this option.

Burmese Coconut Rice - Ohn Htamin

Rice is an essential part of any Asian or Indian meal. In my home, we're particular about what kind of rice we eat. Basmati rice is our favourite, but if that isn't available, jasmine rice comes in at a close second. Packaged instant rice tastes horrible when one is used to either basmati or jasmine long-grain rice. Some people prefer short-grain sticky rice which I have yet to experiment with, and try to avoid because of its high starch content. So the discussion here focuses on long-grain rice.

The easiest way to prepare long-grain rice is to wash it, let it soak for 10-15 minutes and cook it with double the quantity of water in the rice cooker. No need to worry about it catching and burning at the bottom because most rice cookers turn off automatically when the water is absorbed completely. 

Cooking rice on the stove top is really easy to do, but I would suggest setting a timer as a reminder to turn off the stove so the rice doesn't burn. I've blogged about making perfect basmati rice on the stove top and in the microwave oven and my methods have been successful every time.

Now, to get back to this delicious recipe for Ohn Htamin, it forms the base for a festive Burmese meal because it goes so well with any sipyan or Burmese curry. The memories of our childhood in Burma come rushing back at the thought of this meal! The perfect condiment for Ohn Htamin is dry balachaung, also an essential part of the Burmese table.