MYANMAR FOOD

KNEADED FISH RICE

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ pounds fresh. whole fish ngayan. catfish. or perch
  • 2 teaspoons (or to taste) salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 ¼ cups oil
  • 1 ½ cups onion. finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried garlic chips
  • 1 teaspoon or less chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  • 1 ½ cups chopped tomatoes
  • 2 large onions. for slicing
  • 8 spring onions (scallions). bulb and stalk
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder. coarse
  • 8 cups so cooked rice
  • Some potato crisps

How to cook

Clean fish. Chop in 2-inch chunks keeping head whole if there is one. Rub with 1 teaspoon salt and half the turmeric. Heat 1/3 cup oil. Fry in it the chopped onion. garlic. chili. and ginger till aromatic.
Add tomatoes. and cook 5 minutes. Add fish. Stir carefully while adding 3 cups water. cover. and cook 25 minutes. Slice 2 onions finely and evenly. Chop spring onion stalks (or greens) into small pieces. Remove fish chunks from broth. heave head in broth and boil 15 minutes more.
From chunks take flesh. pressing to detect bones. and remove. Heat rest of oil. Fry sliced onions light brown. drain. and set aside. Reheat oil. put in coarse-pounded chili. take pan off fire and let chili cook and color oil red while still in pan. Drain off chili and set aside. Add rest of turmeric and shredded fish to oil. cook a few minutes while stirring. Put soft rice in basin.
Add to it 2/3 of the fish with oil. rest of salt. 1/2 of fried onion. and fish broth. making sure it is free of bones. Mix well. pressing hard. On a long platter. arrange 2/3 of rice in 6 oblong portions. Sprinkle each with shredded fish and chopped spring onion greens. Cover with rest of rice. pressing each portion into good shape. Dress tops with remaining fried onion and sides with fried chili crisp. and spring onions. Serve with hot teach and some extra crisps.