Asian Recipes and Cooking Guide

Cooking Tips, Kitchen Skills and Recipes.....

The cuisine of Burma is influenced by its two neighbors, China and India. Soy sauce and noodles are obviously the result of a Chinese influence, but curry itself is definitely an Indian invention. Burmese curries are, however, much lighter.

Ingredients: (Serves 4-6)

2.5 ml/1 inch piece fresh root ginger, crushed

8 dried red chilies, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

2 lemon grass stalks, finely chopped

15 ml/1 tablespoon chopped galangal or chopped fresh root ginger

15 ml/1 tablespoon shrimp paste

30 ml/2 tablespoons brown sugar

675 g/1½ lb pork, with some of its fat

600 ml/1 pint/2½ cups water

10 ml/2 teaspoons ground turmeric

5 ml/1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

4 shallots, finely chopped

15 ml/1 tablespoon chopped garlic

45 ml/3 tablespoons tamarind juice or 5 ml/1 teaspoon concentrated tamarind pulp

5 ml/1 teaspoon granulated sugar

15 ml/1 tablespoon fish sauce

Fresh red chilies, to garnish

French (green) beans, to serve

Method:

Using a mortar and pestle, pound the ginger, chilies, lemon grass and galangal into a coarse paste, then add the shrimp paste and brown sugar to produce a dark, grainy puree.

Cut the port into large chunks and place in a wok or large pan. Add the curry puree and stir well to make sure the meat is well coated.

Cook the pork over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat has changed color and rendered some of its fat, and the curry paste has begun to release its aroma.

Stir the water, turmeric and soy sauce into the meat in the pan. Simmer gently for about 40 minutes, until the meat is tender. The pan does not need to be kept covered.

Add the shallots, garlic, tamarind juice, sugar and fish sauce. If you are using concentrate tamarind pulp, stir until dissolved. Garnish with fresh chilies and serve with French (green) beans.

Happy Cooking,

Carol