Sisters Amy and Emily Chung are flying the flag for Burmese cuisine in the UK. Born and bred in London, with Anglo-Burmese-Chinese heritage, they picked up cooking from their mother and grandmother, seamlessly throwing in a little bit of this and a splash of that to create delicious dishes.
In their first cookbook, titled “The Rangoon Sisters”, they celebrate the incredible food and flavours that are found throughout Myanmar: rich bowls of slow-cooked curry are contrasted with fresh, zingy salads, vibrant garnishes, and heaps of steaming rice.
The sisters—who are also trained as doctors—shared two of the book’s 80 evocative family recipes with Myanmar Mix. With chapters on snacks, salads, curries, rice, noodles and sweets, the simple recipes are perfect for a quick weekday family meal or a comforting slow cook on a weekend.
Kyet thar thoke—spiced chicken salad
Here we cook the chicken fresh for this salad, but you could always make this using leftover roast chicken; we have also made this for several supper clubs using the fried chicken on page 167. We would recommend keeping the skin on the thighs when roasting them, because it keeps the flesh moist and the cooked chicken skin adds a wonderful crispy texture to the salad.
Serves four as main
4 chicken thighs, skin on
1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder
1⁄2 tsp paprika
1⁄2 tsp chilli powder
Pinch of salt
1⁄2 medium-sized white cabbage (about 450g), finely sliced
Juice of 3 limes
5 tbsp garlic oil
5 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 shallots, finely sliced
4 tsp gram flour, toasted
To serve
Coriander leaves
Chilli flakes
Crispy fried shallots
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Coat the chicken thighs with the spices and the salt and place on a baking tray in the oven. Roast for 35 minutes (check they are cooked by piercing them – the juices should run clear), then set aside to cool.
Roughly shred the chicken with a fork and knife and place in a large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the garnishes, and mix well.
When ready to serve, divide the salad among four plates, then garnish each with the coriander, a sprinkle of chilli flakes and a teaspoon of fried shallots. Serve immediately.
Faluda—Burmese falooda
Falooda originates from the Indian subcontinent and is a milky drink served in a tall glass, often based around a rose sugar syrup, with basil seeds, jellies and ice cream in the mix. Many varieties exist and we don’t think you can go too wrong with what you choose to add to it. In Burma, the addition is a delicious lump of custard flan. The drink is served cold, so you will need to allow some time to prepare all the components and chill them.
Serves six generously
For the flan (this will make more flan than you need, but you will enjoy the leftovers)
8 tbsp caster sugar
410g tin of evaporated milk
397g tin of condensed milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the rest
1 packet of strawberry jelly
75g small (1–2mm) tapioca pearls
25g basil seeds (optional, but they add a good texture)
Red rose syrup, such as Rooh Afza
1 litre whole milk
6 scoops of vanilla ice cream
Ice (optional)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. You need an ovenproof dish of about 20 × 20cm and at least 6cm deep (the shape doesn’t matter).
Start with the flan. Melt the sugar in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, watching carefully as it turns to a caramel and shaking the pan gently so that all the sugar melts evenly. Once the sugar is golden brown, pour it into your ovenproof dish, tilting it so the caramel spreads evenly. Set aside to cool.
Next, whisk together the tins of evaporated and condensed milk, eggs and vanilla in a jug and pour over the caramel. Place a sheet of foil over the dish and cook for 1 hour in the oven, until nicely set. Remove from the oven, allow to cool and put in the fridge.
While the flan is in the oven, you can prepare the strawberry jelly – simply follow the packet instructions, pour into a dish and leave it to set in the fridge. Now heat a pan of water on the hob until boiling, then add the tapioca pearls (the water must be boiling when you add them). Allow to cook for 10–15 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring them intermittently as they tend to stick to the bottom. Once cooked, drain the tapioca through a sieve over the sink with plenty of cold water (to minimise the pearls sticking to each other). Allow to drain and set aside.
If you are using basil seeds, simply soak them in cold water and they will plump up into crunchy miniature ‘spawn’ after 10 minutes.
Once the flan is cool (room temperature will do if your patience is short in supply) and the strawberry jelly is set, you can assemble the falooda in big glasses. Start with 2–3 tablespoons of rose syrup in the bottom of each glass, followed by a dollop of tapioca pearls and soaked basil seeds, if using, a dollop of strawberry jelly, a dollop of flan and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pour over the milk, add some ice if you want (if there’s space!) and serve, remembering to tell your eager recipients to give the whole thing a stir before diving in.
