Fragrant lemongrass, the intensely perfumed kaffir lime leaf and galangal (a type of ginger) which give a wonderful aroma to so many Thai dishes are also popular in the southern region of Myanmar.
One passion which Burmese share with the people of Thailand and Laos is the love of a huge range of raw vegetables and leaves, both cultivated and wild, eaten with a pungent dipping sauce—a custom unknown in India or China. Burmese cooks have developed a range of dipping sauces, most of which contain chilli and are based around some form of dried or fermented shrimp. Soups, too, feature at virtually every main meal in Myanmar, as they do in Laos and Thailand.
Palm sugar, produced from the sap of the inflorescence of the aren palm, is another ingredient shared with Laos and Thailand, as is the preference for glutinous or "sticky" rice in parts of Myanmar bordering on these countries. Coconut milk, so prevalent in the cuisine of Southeast Asia, is also used in many Burmese dishes and for sweetmeats, while agar agar—a setting agent from seaweed—is also popular in Burmese desserts and drinks.
As with the people of Laos and Thailand, Burmese cooks frequently use pieces of banana leaf to wrap food before steaming—a technique not found in India.
Poised between two culinary giants, India and China, and inspired by the ingredients and styles of Southeast Asia, the cuisine of Myanmar has developed a unique personality of its own.
Introduced by the Chinese, noodles made from rice, wheat or mung peas are often used in "salads" and meal-in-one snacks bought from hawker stalls.
Nobody escapes a drenching during the water-throwing festival, or Thingyan, in Mandalay.
Festive Rice
When it comes to food for special occasions, the humble rice grain turns up in delicious new ways.
By San Lwin
Buddhism permeates every aspect of life in Myanmar and each of the twelve lunar months on the Burmese calendar is associated with at least one religious festival. In addition, there are special festivities and holidays associated with secular occasions and pre-Buddhist festivals such as the Taungbyon Nat festival, a week-long celebration with music, drinking and dance held near Mandalay. And in a land where the question "Have you eaten?" serves as a form of greeting, most festivals are celebrated with feasting. On these occasions, everyday fare is put aside in favour of special treats served only at the time of the festival, each of which is of particular significance. And, as befits the food which provides the basis of almost every meal, it is rice, prepared in a variety of ways, that is one of the main culinary attractions at every festival.
The first month of the year, Dagu, which usually begins somewhere in April, marks the time of transition into the new year. It is also the hottest time of the year. So, with temperatures soaring, the water festival is held, as it is in other Buddhist nations of Southeast Asia such as Thailand and Laos. Merrymaking is the order of the day: there is singing, dancing and, of course, water—sprinkled piously on images of Buddha and vigorously splashed, sprayed and thrown over everyone else.
Dotted here and there among all this good-humored uproar are quiet circles of girls and women. Sitting around boiling pots of water, either in festive pavilions or at home, the womenfolk roll balls of rice dough, shred coconut meat into thin threads and, of course, gossip. Now and then a score or more of dumplings are tipped from a plate into the boiling water where they sink down for a few moments, only to bob up again on the surface, at which point they are retrieved with a colander, arranged on a plate, dressed with shredded coconut and served to guests. As the guests enjoy the small dumplings stuffed with palm sugar, covert glances are cast at them by those sitting around the boiling pot. A few of the dumplings have been stuffed with hot green chillies and, at the sight of the unwary victim whose tongue is on fire having bitten into one of these sabotaged dumplings, the women burst into appreciative giggles.
Also served during the New Year period is Thingyan rice. The rice is cooked in an earthenware pot which has been treated with beeswax fumes to impart a special fragrance. The rice is served steeped in cool water and accompanied by dishes of smoked, dried fish dressed in sesame oil, and a sweet and sour salad made of chopped marann plums. The marann is a succulent, acutely sour fruit related to the mango. This tradition goes back to the days of Burmese monarchs when Thingyan rice was served ceremoniously to the king and chief queen as they sat on the Bee Throne in the Glass Palace in Mandalay.
Another special festival rice is the treacly Htamane rice made during the month of Dabaung, which comes just before the month of Dagu and is the time when the harvest of new rice is plentiful. This treacly rice is a rich concoction of glutinous rice, sesame seeds, peanuts and slices of ginger and coconut; the mixture is stirred continuously while being cooked in water with lashings of sesame oil. Preparation of this delicacy sometimes takes the form of a friendly competition. Groups of contenders jostle around giant woks—the menfolk wielding spatulas big enough to paddle canoes with which to stir the rice—while sparks stream out from the wood fires tended by women waving fans. The merry sounds of tootling flutes, throaty oboes and stuttering double-headed drums, accented by the rythmic beat of bamboo clappers, accompany the activity. The musicians encourage the stirrers to turn out the tastiest, creamiest treacly rice in the minimum amount of time. This custom can be traced back to the Second Inwa Period during the 18th century. Historical accounts describe how troopers of the royal cavalry, under the supervision of the minister of the granaries, prepared one thousand pots of the rice. This rice was then donated to the monasteries and pagodas by the king, as custom decreed.
Young dancers performing at the State School of Music and Drama in Mandalay.
As is the case in most agricultural societies, the harvest festival in Myanmar holds great significance and is celebrated by those living in the lowlands as well as by the people of the hills. From this practice of celebrating the "eating of the new rice" comes the preparation of mourih zann, or new rice flakes, which can either be eaten fresh or kept for months. Ears of glutinous rice are collected when they are just ripe and the grains are roasted right after threshing. The roasted grain is pounded lightly in a mortar with a lightweight pestle, husked and, after the chaff has been removed, the rice flakes are either stored for consumption at a future time or, if they are to be eaten soon, kneaded with sugar and coconut shreds after being sprinkled with hot water.
Whatever the celebration, the preparation and consumption of dishes for special occasions will always be a part of the activities that constitute such a strong part of the Burmese identity and which continue to affirm community bonds.
Towering fruit cakes are made by steaming a mixture of palm sugar, raisins, coconut milk and finely ground rice.
Traditional Meals
Courteous manners, generosity and a wide variety of dishes are all part of the Burmese meal
By San Lwin
Breakfast in Myanmar is traditionally a light repast of fried rice, or yesterday's rice warmed up, served with boiled garden peas and green tea. Many delicious alternatives are now becoming popular though. Breakfast today could take the form of steamed glutinous rice topped with roasted sesame seeds and fish or vegetable fritters; smoked dried fish; mohinga, thin rice noodles in fish soup; or ohn-no kyaukswe, wheat flour noodles in chicken and coconut gravy. Rice gruel garnished with chunks of fried Chinese dough sticks might be gulped down, as might naan, flat bread fresh from the tandoor oven, with either boiled garden pea salad or lamb bone soup. Alternatively, a steaming chick-pea broth or a chicken curry might provide the morning's sustenance. Coffee or tea sweetened with sugar and milk have become fashionable and are now common in most homes, replacing the simple green tea.