Pandaw Magazine

CULINARY VOYAGE:
as well as being a leading cultural commentator, Ma Thanegi is also
a leading expert on Burmese cooking. Here she offers her choice of
favourite dishes inspired by Salween country.
FISH CAKE IN
COCONUT GRAVY
Serves four, eaten with steamed rice together with
soup and side dishes.
In Myanmar coconut is used mostly in desserts and rarely in
savoury cooking, apart from a few curries or coconut rice. This is
the most-often eaten coconut-based curry that originated in the
towns around the Salween delta.
For the fish cakes:
500 kg scraped fish
Salt to taste
Scrape fresh fish with side of a thin metal spoon. Alternatively
remove skin and bones and cut into pieces and grind in electric
grinder with the salt to taste, chopped garlic and onion. If scraped,
remove bones and mix thoroughly with salt to taste, finely chopped
garlic and onion. Then, scoop up a handful and throw it with force
into a large bowl about two or three times, and until it is hard if
you want a chewy texture. Form into balls or cakes and set aside or
fry in hot oil to crisp surface.
Heat oil in pan with the turmeric powder and add the
pounded onion, garlic and ginger and fry until the gravy base
turns golden brown. Add the paprika and stir a few seconds. Add
the fish cakes and water, then cover pan, lower heat and cook until
you hear the oil sizzling. Add coconut cream and stir and cover
again until you hear the oil sizzling again. Add salt to taste and
remove pan from heat.
For the gravy:
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
2 shallots, pounded
3 cloves garlic, pounded
¼ inch ginger, pounded
1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
½ cup water
¼ cup coconut cream
¼ cup oil
Salt to taste