Myanmar Food
A Special Thingyan Meal
This special menu is from the Mon State, and is
served only during the period of Thingyan, the
Myanmar Water Festival that ushers in the Myanmar
New Year. It consists of specially prepared rice,
crisply fried shreds of dried fish with a generous
sprinkling of fried onions and a salad of green
mangoes. The Mon people still adhere to this
tradition of Thingyan Rice as it is called to this
day. It is a novel and quaint way of cooking rice
and I wish to share the recipe with our readers.
Ingredients
- Rice - two condensed milk tins full
- Dried fish, (Snakehead or any fleshy fish
such as Spanish Mackerel) - 1lb.
- Oil 10 ounces
- Onion 10,
- medium-sized Garlic a few pods
- Sesame 3 tbs.
- Fish sauce 2 tps.
- Pounded dried prawns 2 tbs 3 or so
(optional).
- Green (unripe) mangoes 3
- Sandalwood a few slivers
- Beeswax a few flakes.
How to cook
To cook the rice Wash rice thoroughly, put in
pot, fill with water and put on stove. When the
water boils and the rice is cooked, drain the
starchy water. Put in more water and repeat the
process twice. This is to get rid of all the starch
and to cook the rice till the grains become plump
and flaky. Drain the rice for the last time and set
aside to cool. ( Usually rice is boiled till cooked
and the water is drained only once, after which, the
rice minus water is put back on stove to steam it to
the right consistency).
Build an open charcoal fire in a small stove.
When the charcoal begins to smoulder put in
sandalwood slivers and flakes of beeswax and
immediately cover with a clean cooking pot set aside
for the purpose. This is to infuse the pot with the
aroma of the sandalwood and beeswax. When it is
judged that the sandalwood and beeswax have burned
out remove pot and immediately put in the cooked
rice and pour drinking water to cover the rice. Some
cover the pot with a cloth before putting in the
rice so that the aroma of the sandalwood and beeswax
will not escape. The rice is now ready to be served
in individual bowls water and all. Some sprinkle a
few buds of jasmine on the water for decorative
purposes and to lend some added fragrance as well.
Accompanying dishes
Fried Dried Fish
Boil the dried fish till tender. Remove bones and
lightly pound the meat with traditional mortar and
pestle. Heat half the oil till cooked and put in
garlic lightly crushed; when garlic turns slightly
brown, put in pounded dried fish and fry till
golden. Slice 8 onions and fry till crisp. Leave
half the fried onions for the mango salad and dress
the fried fish with crisp golden onions.
Mango Salad
Peel and grate the mangoes and wash and drain.
Slice raw onions and green chilis. Put in a bowl the
grated mangoes, sliced onions, roasted sesame and
pounded dried prawns, sprinkle fish sauce (to taste)
and mix thoroughly. Put the lot in a serving dish
and top with crisp fried onions.
How to serve
The Thingyan meal, served usually for lunch or
even later when the temperature is soaring, is a
heart-cooling meal. The rice is fragrant, the water
slakes thirst and the fried fish and mango salad
lends a sharpness to wet the appetite.
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