Jake is home and we are back on track with a tabletop travel adventure to Burma tonight. I actually debated on whether or not this menu should be cooked and blogged with the letter 'b' as Burma is now Myanmar and has been since 1989. But, going with Sasha of Global Table Adventure's list...'b' it is! Apparently the United Nations recognizes the name change as do a few other countries, but it is not recognized by the United States or the United Kingdom.
Interesting to note, when the boys tried to look up the country in their atlases, 'Burma' did not exist. It was listed, in the index, as 'Myanmar. However, when they went to the correct page, the country was labeled 'Myanmar (Burma)' on the map.
Burmese cuisine is an amalgam of Indian, Chinese, and Thai cuisines. But what they do that really intrigued me: salads. So I came up with a trio of Burmese salads that take a vegetable - or fruit - and really make it pop with flavor.
I should say that I really wanted to make a squid and dandelion dish, but I struck out on finding dandelion greens. Whole Foods? No. Cornucopia? No. Earthbound Farms? No. I even tried Safeway. Nope. So, we'll try that another night. Here's what Dylan, my kitchen elf for the evening, and I whipped up...three different salads and both a savory and a sweet wrapped in banana leaves. Delicious!
Lephet Thoke (Fermented Tea Leaf Salad)
click the name for the original recipe post
adapted from Absolutely Monica
click the name for the original recipe post
adapted from Absolutely Monica
Burmese Cucumber Salad
Somehow I completely missed taking a photo of this salad when it was finished. Where the fermented tea leaf salad was bitter and felt heavy on your tastebuds, this salad was light and sweet.
Peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced cucumbers +
sliced celery +
dressing made with mixture of sugar and vinegar +
sesame seeds for garnish =
easy peasy
Burmese Banana Leaf-Wrapped Fish
click the name for the original recipe post
This Knight of the Global Table Adventure is signing off for now. We're traveling to the last of the 'B's next: Burundi.
Comments
Post a Comment