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The Burmese are happy to share their meals which generally consist of rice or rice noodles accompanied by lots of spices and toppings or egg noodles fried in soy sauce and egg. A coworker and I share another huge dinner at a family's home. Broth soup with goat, spicy curry, and rice noodles with toppings. Having spent many years in Thai refugee camps, some of the families now enjoy traditional Thai barbecue called mukata.. Food is a big part of the Karen new year celebration including a soup of congealed rice noodles and fish sauce topped with fried lentil cakes and cilantro. Rice is an absolute staple for all Burmese and our local Thriftown market has stocked up. These 25 and 50 pound bags do not last a family long as they have big plates of rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Mohinka (or mohinga) is the most common Burmese dish---rice noodles in a fish based sauce in which one adds toppings like cilantro, chopped long beans, and of course red pepper sauce. This rice dish is a Burmese form of Indian biryani (a baked rice dish containing meat or chicken and spices) called dan bauk which is sometimes served at parties. A Burmese Muslim family eats in traditional style on the floor gathered around a set of communal dishes. A nice meal of shredded chicken fried, catfish with fried garlic, soup with roselle, and spicy pork. Some traditional Burmese party dishes that are likely to be a bit less appealing to the average American palate: cow stomach and intestines, spicy (!!) fish paste sauce, and fried fish heads. The noodle soup mohinga has variations according to the region---this one is rakhine mohinga from Rakhine or Arakan State which centers around shrimp and toppings like tamarind sauce. | |||
