Burmese Shan Noodles

 

Shan Noodles

Rice Noodle Dish from the Shan States of Burma.

I've never made or had this before and was pleasantly surprised at how light this noodle dish was compared to Ohno Khaukswe. No coconut milk anywhere, but delicious nevertheless.

Components are:
Rice Noodles
Chicken Curry
Chicken Broth and
Garnishes 

Rice Noodles with Surimi in Black Bean and Garlic Sauce

Rice Noodles and Surimi

Rice noodles are comforting and filling and maybe because they're so thin, it seems healthy and okay to eat more of it. Singapore noodles are a favourite choice at Asian restaurants and that's made with rice noodles. It's easy to reconstitute these noodles at home, because all it takes is to blanch them in boiling hot water for 1 minute to soften. Drain noodles and place noodles in a saucepan, cover and set aside until ready to cook.

Surimi is also known as crab sticks or fake crab and is composed of different kinds of fish. I'm using surimi in place of shrimp because my husband has recently developed an allergy to shrimp.

Black bean sauce is quite salty so it may not be necessary to add any more salt.

Mohinga - Burmese Fish Noodle Soup

Mohinga

Mohinga - the soup

Noodles and Garnishes

Boiled fresh rice noodles

Chopped green onions

Pae Kyaw - split pea fritters

Chili flakes

Sliced hard-boiled eggs

Sliced onions

Minced cilantro

Noodles and Soup

Noodles, Soup and Garnishes

Burmese Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Minced Meat

Burmese Stir-Fried Rice Noodles
 with Minced Meat

A Burmese video posted on Facebook provided the inspiration for this recipe. It was super simple to follow and needed just a few often-used ingredients that I regularly stock in my pantry. 

To make things easy on myself, I purchase substantial quantities of ground chicken, brown the lot in some oil, crumble and freeze it for future use. It's quick and easy to assemble the ingredients, when needed, if the minced meat is already cooked.

Ideal for lunch or if unexpected guests drop by, this is one dish that I'll be making often.

Stir-Fried Glass Noodles
 with Minced Meat

Rice Noodles and Asparagus in Spicy Black Bean Sauce

Rice Noodles and Asparagus
In Spicy Black Bean Sauce

It feels like the world is slowly waking up from this pandemic that has gripped our lives for the last two months. Supermarkets are still displaying sparsely stocked shelves except in the vegetable and fruit departments.

Asparagus
In Spicy Black Bean Sauce

When asparagus is available, it's best to cook them as soon as they arrive home or they lose their flavour and texture in a hurry. An easy and tasty way to have asparagus is to use south-east Asian flavours and here's what I did.

Mohinga - Burmese Fish and Rice Noodle Soup

Mohinga

http://chumkieskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/11/mohinga-burmese-fish-noodle-soup.html

A couple of friends joined us for lunch the other day, to enjoy a Burmese meal. 

Of course, the question was 'What is the difference between Mohinga and Ohno Khaukswe?' Mohinga is made with de-boned fish in a light broth served over rice noodles and Ohno Khawkswe is made with chicken in a coconut broth served over egg noodles. Both are generally served at breakfast in Burma, but we have them for lunch or dinner.

Setting the Table

Both noodle soups are served in soup bowls and eaten with the boat shaped soup spoons that are visible at the center of the table. Make sure to have lots of napkins to sop up the dribbles!

The Noodles and Soup

An essential ingredient in Mohinga is sliced heart of banana trees, which is not easily available in North America unless you grow your own, so I substituted with water chestnuts for their crunch. Whole pearl onions make the soup more flavorful.

Noodle Soup and Eggs

I love the texture of hard-boiled eggs in my Mohinga. It's one of the many garnishes used to dress up this fish soup.

Noodle Soup and Garnishes

A fully dressed bowl of Mohinga. 

Laphet Thoke

http://chumkieskitchen.blogspot.com/2014/06/burmese-laphet-thoht-recipe.html

The Mohinga was served with a side of Laphet Thoke or Pickled Green Tea Leaves Salad.

Kyauk Kyaw

http://chumkieskitchen.blogspot.com/2016/07/burmese-kyauk-kyaw-perfected-technique.html

And Kyauk Kyaw for dessert.

Singapore Rice Noodles with Asparagus & Chicken

Singapore Noodles

This is one of my favourite dishes to order at a Chinese restaurant. It's made with thin rice noodles (Mei Fun) which are available in the international aisle of our local supermarket. 

Burmese Noodle Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Noodle Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Taster's Bowl (bottom right) garnished with
fried onions & garlic, roasted sesame seeds,
crushed cashews and a squeeze of lime

Fish Tofu

For another variation of this recipe, take a look at Burmese Noodles with Cilantro Pesto.

The cilantro dressing is reminiscent of pesto which is usually made with basil and pine nuts. This dressing uses cilantro and cashew nuts, along with other Burmese ingredients. The salad can be eaten at room temperature, cold or microwaved for 30 seconds, just enough to take the chill off. I added fish tofu (similar to fish cake) to add some protein to the dish.