I have never been to Southeast Asia and, to be honest, I don't intend to - I can't stand heat and humidity and that's what I've been told it's like. Blegh!
But that being said, I do love the cuisine. We have plenty of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants near where we live, but until recently, we had never tried Burmese food (or should that be Myanmarese?).
This is a dish I had at a restaurant a few weeks ago. I asked the waiter to ask the chef what spices were in it. A few minutes later, to my complete surprise, the chef came out and handed me a handwritten recipe! This is it (cleaned up a little).
Ingredients:
But that being said, I do love the cuisine. We have plenty of Vietnamese and Thai restaurants near where we live, but until recently, we had never tried Burmese food (or should that be Myanmarese?).
This is a dish I had at a restaurant a few weeks ago. I asked the waiter to ask the chef what spices were in it. A few minutes later, to my complete surprise, the chef came out and handed me a handwritten recipe! This is it (cleaned up a little).
- 1 tablespoon chopped root ginger
- 3 red chillies, chopped
- 2 stalks lemon grass, sliced
- 2 tablespoons dark brown soft sugar
- 1 tablespoon galangal
- 700g leg of lamb, cut into cubes
- 600ml vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 4 shallots, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons tamarind juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 handful green beans
- 1 red chilli, chopped, for garnish
- Place ginger, chillies, lemon grass, brown sugar and galangal in an electric grinder. Pulse for a few seconds until the mixture forms a paste.
- Place lamb cubes in a heavy-based pan. Add in the chilli paste. Cook over low heat until the lamb changes colour.
- Stir in the vegetable stock, turmeric and soy sauce. Simmer gently for 40 minutes. Season to taste.
- Add in chopped shallots, garlic, tamarind juice, and fish sauce.