Khauk swe

Khauk swe is the signature dish made in Burma (Myanmar). It’s very wonderful quality is that it can suit any palette, is exotic as well as healthful due to the assorted mix of non-vegetarian and vegetarian ingredients. Depending on whether one likes it spicy or bland, one can add the correct amount of chili flakes, lime juice and salt. Recipe is good for 3-4 persons

Ingredients:

For the curry:

1.      Coconut milk extract from 1 coconut (dilute so that it is about 2 large cupfuls)

2.      Chick pea flour 1 tablespoon

3. Chicken/lamb/beef (many Burmese also eat pork) cubed, can be either boneless or with bones – 300gms

4.      2 chopped onions

5.      1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

6.      Salt/turmeric/chilli powders to taste

7.      Sprinkling of coriander

8.      2 tablespoons oil

9.      2 cups water

Using ingredients 3 through 9 make an Indian style curry. Mix ingredients 1 and 2. When the meat is nearly done, add it to the curry, stirring for a while to see that no lumps form or the flour does not settle at the bottom. Simmer till the meat is tender but not so much that it disintegrates. The final consistency should be that of a stew or a not too runny dal.

Noodles

Boil noodles in plenty of salted water. Also add a teaspoon of turmeric. Drain and set aside. If eating after a while, run cold water through it to remove all starch and sprinkle a bit of oil so that the strands do not stick. If one dislikes the sight of people slurping long strands of noodles, break the noodles up before adding to the boiling water.

Garnishing:

1.      Chilli flakes (lightly toast red chillies in a wok, do not add any oil, or if at all then just the amount which sticks to the wok. Stir all the while so that it evenly gets toasted till the chilli aroma arises. Cool, grind and bottle. This keeps for two months and can be used again and again. The Burmese use it to flavor many other dishes too

2.      Cabbage, finely sliced

3.      Spring onions finely chopped, both the green stalks as well as the white bulb

4.      Coriander finely chopped

5.      Crisp brown onions – finely sliced and deep fried, then cooled. Do not expose to moisture. This will also keep for a month, without refrigeration

6.      Lime juice,

7.      Salt

8.      Crisp wafers crushed roughly. This is made from finely rolled out dough of plain flour or wheat flour, pricked or alternately dried out in the sun, (I made it by drying, absorbs less oil), deep fried and crushed. This is another ingredient that can be stored indefinitely.

To serve:

Khau swe is best served in a shallow bowl with a spoon because it is best eaten with plenty of curry.

Do not scoop too much of the noodles, since by the time one adds the rest of the ingredients, it doubles in volume. Add a generous amount of cabbage, spring onions and the curry. Other ingredients can be added according to taste. Mix and eat!

Another quality about it is that one can keep adding any of the ingredients at any point of eating it and the taste will change. The taste of each person’s dish is also different according to the amount of garnishing that has been combined.

Enjoy!

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