• LFL on July 17, 2022

  Picked this up on sale for $1.99 and as a vegan, I was disappointed. There were only three recipes that I consider adaptable to a vegan diet. Since it was so cheap, I’m okay with it, but I wouldn’t recommend it to vegans.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Intensely green spinach and tomato salad with peanuts

  • westminstr on July 19, 2013

    I've made this salad twice, once as written and once with LN's snap pea variation instead of spinach. It is easy and versatile but consider adding some lime juice for a hit of acid. Also, it definitely tastes better spicier (though I've been leaving out most of the peppers on account of the kids).

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2013

    We had spinach in our CSA, but a rather small amount, and you know how spinach cooks down. So my proportions were not what was called for. I used cherry tomatoes, in a variety of colors. We were out of peanuts, so I chopped up some Marcona almonds. I made this dish after work and, I used it to accompany a chicken dish. I hadn't done any advance prep, so I made the fried shallots with the shallot oil, and the shrimp powder, just before I made the salad. Surprisingly workable. This is one more aromatic and tasty dish from the book. I do think the peanuts would have been better than the last minute almond switchout, but even so, another success.

• Long-bean salad with roasted peanuts

  • westminstr on July 19, 2013

    Like others, we loved this. I used green beans from the farmer's market for this salad. They were young ones so pretty tender. Loved the dressing (lime juice and fish sauce and shallot oil, what's not to love?) and the crunchy elements (peanuts, shallots), and the salad was a snap to assemble once I had fried my shallots.

  • wester on February 11, 2015

    Made this with green beans. The peanuts and shallots are good additions. I really liked the dressing, but unfortunately the children did not.

  • JoanN on June 24, 2013

    Made with haricots verts. Delicious. Served on red leaf lettuce and called it dinner. Would be an excellent accompaniment to Thai dishes or simply grilled meat or fish.

  • Delys77 on June 18, 2013

    Pg. 50 Easy, quick and very healthful. Fine with green beans and plenty of punchy flavour.

  • thekitchenchronicles on January 17, 2013

    Very crisp and refreshing, a very bright salad

• Mandalay grated carrot salad

  • westminstr on August 01, 2013

    This was a good carrot salad, even without the toasted chickpea flour. A nice no-cook option for a hot day.

  • westminstr on August 19, 2016

    I made this salad again, this time lacking the chickpea flour, dried shrimp powder and shallots. It was still good but I missed the shallots especially. I added extra peanuts to compensate but it wasn't the same. Much quicker though since I had a time crunch and very tasty with rice.

  • TrishaCP on April 01, 2016

    This is a great tasting salad, although I skipped the dried shrimp powder since I did not have it on hand. The balance of flavors really works beautifully together.

  • Allegra on December 13, 2012

    I've been having excellent luck with all the salads in this book, and the grated carrot salad has been the best of the lot so far. Really fast and easy, and a wonderful way to make the humble carrot soar. This one will make an appearance every time Burmese cuisine is on the menu.

  • Bloominanglophile on January 18, 2018

    Another note of praise for this delicious salad. I was a bit wistful when my daughter scooped up the last of it (but I couldn't blame her). I will just have to make it again soon!

  • sosayi on March 20, 2018

    I'll reiterate the praise for this salad. Addictive in its simplicity. I did have the toasted chickpea flour and dried shrimp powder on hand and liked them in the dish. I tried it before I added them and while they did add a more complex flavor, the lime and fish sauce combo on its own did nicely flavor the carrots without it. I didn't measure my carrots exactly, so may have had extra, but that being said I did boost the amount of all ingredients to give even more flavor to the salad. I'd make again for sure.

• Shrimp salad

  • westminstr on August 12, 2013

    Make this salad!!! So delicious!! I made it with a small Kirby cucumber and half pound of shrimp but the full amount of dressing (plus shrimp juices from the frying pan). I didn't have scallions so used some thinly sliced shallots which I soaked in lime juice while I prepped the rest of the meal. I chopped the cukes in small cubes, and I think that was the way to go. Great salad.

  • JoanN on August 10, 2022

    Wonderfully refreshing salad on a 94 degree evening. Didn't have cilantro so substituted parsley and dill. And used a serrano instead of jalapeño chile.

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2016

    This is really the perfect recipe. Fast, fresh-tasting, healthy, delicious. Everything goes so well together and nothing extraneous here.

  • Delys77 on June 17, 2014

    This salad was great. With it's simple ingredient list it is easier than many other dishes in this book, but still yields that classic SE Asian freshness thanks to the cucumber, and savouriness thanks to the fish sauce and lime.

• Chicken salad, Burma style

  • westminstr on July 19, 2013

    I had some leftover rotisserie chicken and decided to use it up in a Burma-inspired chicken salad. I did not have fried shallots, shallot oil, or toasted chickpea flour. I tossed my shredded chicken with sliced shallots, lime juice, mint, cilantro and olive oil.This was excellent! I'm sure it would have been even better with the additional ingredients -- next time!

  • TrishaCP on April 02, 2016

    I loved everything about this dish, including the chile (in our case, a serrano chile). It tasted light with the lime juice and herbs but was pretty filling nonetheless. I also loved the shallots three ways-oil, fresh, and fried. I used the optional toasted chickpea flour, and sprinkled lightly and at the end it didn't get gloopy, just added a nice note of nuttiness.

• Mimi's bean soup with tender leaves

  • westminstr on March 03, 2014

    Though ND does mention somewhere that Burmese soups are thin, meant to be sipped alongside other parts of a meal, I would have preferred a thicker soup. I also had to add a lot of extra fish sauce to make the soup palatable. If I did this again, I would start by sauteeing and seasoning the shallots before adding the beans and (less) water. Weirdly, O liked it.

• Okra-shallot stir-fry

  • westminstr on August 12, 2013

    I made a half recipe of this dish last night as I had a small amount of okra and a bunch of shallots that needed using. I loved this dish. I loved the texture of the okra prepared in this manner. Also, I was surprised by how much flavor this dish had given the few ingredients involved. (I did prepare it in a pan that had previously been used to fry shrimp for the shrimp salad, so that added an extra layer of umami flavor, but I think it would have been just as good without that).

• Mushroom and tomato curry

  • westminstr on March 03, 2014

    I loved this simple, quick-cooking curry but unfortunately neither kid would eat it.

• Smoky napa stir-fry

  • westminstr on June 08, 2016

    A mild dish, as others have mentioned. It was fine but I wouldn't rush to make it again. I didn't get the smoky flavor. I served it with the fried rice (having napa cabbage and cooked rice to use up) and the two were too similar in flavor.

  • okcook on November 09, 2015

    A very mild dish and as mziech mentioned, it would pair nicely with a strongly flavoured dish. Easy to make.

  • mziech on April 03, 2015

    nice side dish, with indeed hint of smoke. Perfect when serving other more strong flavored dishes.

  • Delys77 on April 08, 2013

    Pg. 115 Beautiful colour on this dish, with the light green cabbage infused with the golden colour of the turmeric. The flavour was nice, the texture just right.

• Fluffy lemongrass fish

  • westminstr on July 19, 2013

    I made this over the weekend as part of a Burmese dinner. I used 1.5 pounds blackfish fillets and underpoached them a bit at first, which was a good idea as they cooked more a bit later. Used my mini-processor to break down the aromatics. They didn't turn into a paste, just a fine mince, but they cooked down in the pan so that turned out to be fine. Concur as well that it needed a bit more salt than as written. Adding my accolades to others - this was a tasty and easy dish, which everyone enjoyed. Served with coconut rice and a snap pea-tomato salad.

  • JoanN on July 04, 2013

    I tried this with frozen Mahi-Mahi from Costco. Big mistake. The flavors were marvelous, but the fish was unbelievably chewy. Still, the potential of this dish was clear and I'll definitely be trying it again when I can find fresh halibut.

  • TrishaCP on April 02, 2016

    Delicious, easy, and fresh tasting dish. I used a halibut steak, and it was beautiful. I concur with the other reviewers that you will probably need to check out the seasoning at the end to make sure it is to your taste.

  • Delys77 on June 18, 2013

    Pg. 138 Another quick and easy dish from this book. The overall flavour is very good, but maybe put a bit of salt in with the shallots when you are making your paste. Also, check for seasoning before plating. Add the lime wedges to the plate as it usually needs them. Can also go pretty heavy on the lemongrass. Not fishy as the result of the seasoning paste but serve with rice and greens that have no fish sauce or oyster sauce so that the fish dish shines and doesn't get mired in a fishy menu.

• Easy grilled chicken

  • westminstr on August 01, 2014

    Made with boneless, skinless thighs, this was a quick and tasty weeknight meal. I really appreciated the simple marinade which came together quickly and packed a lot of flavor. Didn't have time to make the tart sweet chile garlic sauce. I think I would have liked that sauce, but the chicken was still good on its own. Served with coconut rice and grilled broccoli tossed with garlic, chilies and fish sauce.

  • Breadcrumbs on March 31, 2016

    p. 163 - I finally had an opportunity to make my first recipe from this book, I’m glad I started here. As those who have gone before me have pointed out, the recipe lives up to it’s promise of being easy. I had some small boneless, skinless chicken breasts so I didn’t bother chopping them. What surprised me most about the chicken was how tender and juicy it was, especially for breasts. This is a perfect recipe to have in my arsenal as I’m often looking for a protein to add to a vegetarian main since mr bc so loves his meat. I could imagine making this in large batches and freezing it for lunches/salads and weeknight dinners. I did not make the dipping sauce as I was serving this alongside a saucy dish. Loved the flavours of the finished dish. Photo here: http://www.chowhound.com/post/cookbook-month-june-2013-burma-fish-seafood-chicken-beef-903915?commentId=9832176

  • TrishaCP on June 10, 2013

    As advertised, really couldn't be simpler. Used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and kept them in a marinade for about an hour. You need to adjust the grilling time if you go boneless. To me, the chicken felt seasoned enough to eat plain, but if you want to add spicy or sweet notes, you need a chile sauce. (I used Thai sweet chile sauce since I had it on hand and that was great.)

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2013

    We used boneless breasts (actually, the plan was to use breasts and thighs, but two packages of breasts were purchased by mistake). They were cut into long pieces, too big to fall through the grill. They were in the marinade for a few hours. I served the chicken with the tart sweet chile garlic sauce. The chicken was on the grill a tad too long (not overdone, but not perfectly moist), as I underestimated the timing for another dish. But was still delicious. I agree that it probably doesn't "need" the sauce, but it's a lovely addition. Besides, I'll use any excuse to eat that sauce!

  • Delys77 on July 03, 2014

    I went with a whole chicken which I cut into 6 serving pieces (kept the wings for stock). I ended keeping my pieces whole as it was a relatively small organic chicken. My bbq was relatively hot and I had these on there for about 14 minutes, 4 over direct heat and 10 or so off heat. This was about right, but I think my bone in thighs could have stayed on another minute or two and the breasts could have come off a minute or so earlier. Flavour was great on it's own but I did make the tart chile garlic sauce which is super fiery so I only drizzled the chicken very lightly with it. Great easy summer weeknight meal.

  • Zosia on July 23, 2019

    Really delicious. It seemed a small amount of marinade for the 1.2kg of boneless, skinless chicken breasts I used but it went a long way in flavouring the meat. I left the breasts whole, slicing them thinly just before serving so they were coated in the flavoured juices.

• Pork strips with star anise

  • westminstr on August 12, 2013

    Made this for dinner last night with modifications: Used 1/2 cup water (instead of 1 cup), also used brown sugar and miso subs. After the pork was done I thought the sauce was super watery so I took the pork out and reduced the sauce further. The pork was a little dry and tough but I think that had to do with my pork, not the recipe. Would prefer a thicker sauce.

  • Delys77 on June 06, 2013

    Pg. 188 The sauce is the star here with a lovely umami, smoky, anisey flavour, but the meat should be seared in small batches before the garlic and ginger go in so that is caramelizes. Then add about 3/4 of the water she says and simmer uncovered until it reduces a little bit. Overall good, but needs the noted modifications. Also, double to serve 4 with rice and a vegetable side.

  • Kirstin_the_Kiwi on September 30, 2017

    Pork belly wasn't a good substitute

• Lemongrass-ginger sliders

  • westminstr on March 13, 2014

    I didn't have the 1/4 cup roma tomato called for so substituted a bit of tomato paste and some lime juice. (Perhaps because of the substitution) these were a bit pungent for my taste, and some of them didn't hold together well in the pan. I think perhaps oven roasting would be a better cooking method but regardless I wouldn't repeat.

  • wester on January 01, 2015

    Unlike the other reviewers, I did not have any issues with these falling apart, although (or perhaps because) I left out the rice. I really liked the flavor as well - a very clear ginger flavor but not overly hot. My 8-year old son liked them as well.

  • TrishaCP on August 16, 2014

    I concur with Westminstr that these were a bit too pungent for me, but my husband liked them very much. Personally, I couldn't taste the lemongrass at all- I thought it was overwhelmed by ginger. I made regular burgers instead of sliders, but made them the day before. Maybe they dried out somewhat in the fridge, because I didn't have any issues with them being too wet.

  • FJT on July 31, 2017

    We liked these. I agree that the ginger overwhelmed the lemongrass, but the flavour was still very nice. Whilst the sliders were quite wet when I made them they firmed up nicely after being left in the fridge for an hour and they did not fall apart in the pan. Served with the recommended cabbage recipe from the same book.

  • thekitchenchronicles on June 08, 2013

    Truly amazing flavor. Mine didn't hold together great in the pan but I am going to blame that on the rice I made being a little too wet.

  • ashallen on September 19, 2021

    These are intensely flavored, which I loved, particularly since I'm a big ginger fan. Really delicious. Works well with a more gently flavored dish as an accompaniment. I used a bit more lemongrass than called for (~2-3 tsp) in order to use up a stem and while you could tell it was there, it definitely took a backseat to the ginger. Used pre-ground pork vs. chopping my own. I wasn't sure how coarse the aromatics paste should be - I tried both the food processor mini-bowl and a granite mortar and pestle and it was still pretty chunky but that ended up being fine. Recipe says to form 1-inch balls but mine were closer to 2 inches in order to get the stated yield of 16-18 sliders.

• Fried rice with shallots

  • westminstr on June 08, 2016

    I also subbed edamame as mentioned below. I love fried rice in all forms so of course I liked this. In general though, I prefer the more exciting Thai-style fried rice with fish sauce, chilies and lime. That said, leftovers were great reheated for lunch.

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2016

    This was pretty flavorful given that the only seasonings are shallots and shallot oil. I added edamame instead of the optional peas. I would definitely make this again.

• Perfumed coconut rice

  • westminstr on July 19, 2013

    I made this coconut rice to go with the lemongrass fish, and the two went well together. This rice has a lovely mild flavor and a very pretty yellow color from the turmeric (of which I used a bit extra). I made a half recipe, which was plenty! I followed the cooking directions, didn't add extra water after the index finger test (which is how I normally do it). Checked the rice about 5 minutes before dinner and it was dry and crunchy. I added about 1/2 cup more water and put it on low heat for another 5 minutes, after which it was perfect. I do find that I have to add extra liquid when I make coconut rice as the rice doesn't seem to absorb the coconut milk as easily as it does water. So a bit of trial and error was needed, but overall, this is a nice rice dish if you are looking to add a little something special to your Burmese dinner.

• Warming beef curry with tomato

  • wester on December 27, 2014

    Good and simple.

• Simplest beef curry with whole shallots

  • wester on January 14, 2015

    Good and simple, although you do need to crisp-fry some shallots if you don't have them on hand yet.

  • TrishaCP on January 24, 2017

    Thanks to Frogcake for flagging this one. This was indeed easy and tasty, though the whole shallots didn't really do much for me- maybe I should have cooked them longer. I cooked the beef the day before (good thing, because I needed more than two hours to get my beef tender) and then heated the rest up the following day. I subbed an equal amount of cayenne for the red chiles. Served with rice and the Mandalay grated carrot salad.

  • Frogcake on January 19, 2017

    A simple, delicious curry that is mildly scented with turmeric as many Burmese curries are. I would definitely make this again. I served this with fried shallots and rice as recommended. This recipe inspired me to make the following curry: used ground beef in place of the stewing beef, one can of diced tomatoes with juice and an additional cup of water, addition of one cup of chopped black oyster mushrooms, and two cups of chopped dandelion leaves and stems; spices as directed in this recipe with fried shallots. I also added cubed sweet potato to the simmering pot. No need to simmer the latter for any longer than forty minutes. Adjust salt and pepper after adding the fish sauce.

• Tomato-chickpea soup

  • wester on November 26, 2015

    I made this as the vegetarian option at my birthday party dinner, and people were asking for the recipe. I did add quite a bit more ginger than the recipe stated (and the amount in the recipe was quite vague already). I just kept on adding small amounts of grated ginger until I liked the flavor.

• Traveler's eggplant curry

  • wester on January 15, 2015

    The family gobbled this up. Tweaks: halved the chile oil, added some lemon juice. Next time start with less salt. The amount was too small: I had used a bit more eggplant and still it wasn't enough for two adults and two children,

  • Delys77 on May 06, 2013

    Pg. 104 This was not a winner for the significant other who couldn't even finish it. The dish comes together easily but you do end up with a slightly fishy and mushy eggplant stew. I also found that it was lacking complexity so I added a bit of Black Rice Vinegar and a bit more chile oil. Overall I would repeat. She is correct that the shrimp powder does dissipate and become more savoury as the dish stews, but it still remains too pungent for our taste.

• Fried shallots

  • wester on January 14, 2015

    Clear instructions, lovely crisp result. Do watch them well in the last minutes so they brown evenly.

  • TrishaCP on April 01, 2016

    Concur with Wester that the instructions are clear and the results as intended.

• Toasted chickpea flour

  • wester on February 22, 2015

    Easy and a big improvement in flavor over untoasted chickpea flour.

  • TrishaCP on April 01, 2016

    If you make less than the full amount, you will need to keep a watchful eye on this. I burned two batches before I gave in and just did the amount called for, which I found much easier to control.

• Village boys' chicken

  • JoanN on July 04, 2013

    I liked the chicken. I loved the sauce. At the last minute I decided to serve this over leftover white rice and I’m so glad I did. I kept pushing the chicken aside to gobble up every last bit of chayote and sauce-soaked rice. If I were to make this again, I’d go with cubed skinless, boneless thighs. The chicken skin is flabby and has to be removed anyway and I doubt the bones add all that much more flavor.

  • TrishaCP on April 26, 2016

    I messed up and added 1 cup too much water, but even still this is great. I used boneless skinless thighs and they worked just fine. The chayote really soak up the flavors from the sauce and are truly delicious.

  • sir_ken_g on September 19, 2016

    The Burmese always eat this over rice and so they need lots of gravy.

• Kachin chicken curry

  • Gio on June 24, 2013

    http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2013/06/kachin-chicken-curry.html

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2013

    Quicker than stated! The chicken starts out with a rub in a paste of garlic, ginger, salt, chiles, coriander, and turmeric. It sits in the paste "while you organize your cooking method." I cooked the chicken on a plate in a bamboo steamer over a wok. The recipe calls for steaming until it's cooked through, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. That is with small pieces of chicken, but on the bone. Ours was done in about 15 minutes. Perfectly done and succulent! The recipe calls for topping it with scallion greens or chopped cilantro. I had garlic greens, and used those together with the cilantro. Delicious. Plus, quick and easy, at least with the chicken pieces I used.

• Curried chicken livers

  • sgump on June 01, 2014

    On p. 158: Couldn't be simpler--was quite lovely atop short-grain white rice. I minced everything (shallots, ginger, Roma tomatoes) quite finely, and the sauce came together nicely. (Next time, I'll try it with brown jasmine rice.)

• Tamarind-pumpkin curry

  • amraub on December 16, 2012

    Served with the recommended pounded beef dish. Used butternut squash and cooked for a bit longer to get the squash tender. Tartness of the sauce worked nicely.

• Kachin pounded beef with herbs

  • amraub on December 16, 2012

    Very interesting dish, especially with the numbing from the Sichuan peppercorns. The numbing did seem to get a bit overwhelming towards the end, so I would recommend small portions. Served the the tamarind-pumpkin curry.

• Minced chicken with galangal and tomato

  • okcook on November 09, 2015

    This dish grew on us as we ate it. At first we thought it kind of boring but by the third forkful we really liked it. The flavours have a nice depth with the shrimp paste. We used the amount called for in the recipe and we think the dish benefited. However, if you aren't keen on shrimp paste the substitute of fish sauce mentioned in the recipe would work.

  • Allegra on December 13, 2012

    A pleasant, rather pungent dull yellow curry. Overflowing with umami. Reduce shrimp past next time, by half? Fantastic served alongside Standout Tomato Chutney, p.206. Preferred this with the optional cilantro. A squeeze of lime does wonders.

• Succulent pomelo salad

  • mziech on April 03, 2015

    I loved this dish! I am a big pomelo fan and the combination with the crispy shallots and dried shrimp powder was wonderful.

  • Delys77 on June 05, 2013

    The pomelo was very reminiscent of grapefruit, if slightly more bitter. That in and of itself wasn't a problem, it was the combination of somewhat bitter fruit with slightly acrid shallots. Again I'm usually ok with raw shallots that have been soaked, but the amount in tandem with the pomelo was just too much for us.

• Everyday cabbage-shallot refresher

  • TippyCanoe on April 23, 2013

    Spicy goodness. Used as a condiment. I thought that it was quite hot, but my heat-loving husband and teenager thought it was just right. I would cut the chile down a bit next time (or use a milder chile such as jalepeno) for anyone who does not love serious heat.

  • TrishaCP on April 26, 2016

    Used this more as a side than a condiment- it was highly flavorful (I added extra lime juice). Made using a fairly large jalapeño, this had a real kick to it. I didn't have as much shallot as the recipe called for, but even so, the picture in the book seems to show a lot more shallot proportionally than what I would have gotten had I used the full amount.

  • FJT on July 31, 2017

    I served this as a side dish for the lemongrass-ginger slider recipe in the same book. I added slightly more lime juice and fish sauce than stated to ensure that the dressing coated all of the cabbage.

• Aromatic chicken from the Shan hills (Khua haeng)

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2016

    This is an incredibly flavorful and (as promised) aromatic dish. I think this is my favorite so far from this book. The amount of ginger and garlic seems almost obscene but it works. I also kept the lime leaves and lemongrass stalks (smashed and tied in a knot) whole. To simplify, I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs.

  • Delys77 on June 26, 2013

    Pg. 167 I would repeat this one as it is very tasty. I did butcher the bone in chicken into smaller pieces, which did make for a juicy end result, but it was quite a bit of effort. There is a huge amount of garlic and ginger but this makes for a very aromatic dish. I would up the chile a bit next time and maybe leave the lime leaves whole so I can fish them out at the end. I also smashed and tied up the lemongrass so it could be removed. Overall very south east asian flavour profile with a tonne of flavour and lovely juicy chicken. Would repeat.

• Chicken in tart garlic sauce

  • TrishaCP on May 24, 2018

    This was much better the second day after the flavors had time to meld. To be fair however, I probably only used about half of the garlic required, which was still about five or six cloves. Also, I wouldn't add all of the water called for unless you are cooking bone-in chicken- I used boneless/skinless thighs that cooked quickly and I think I would have liked it much better with less liquid in the sauce.

• Mandalay noodles with chicken curry (Mandalay mondi)

  • TrishaCP on August 30, 2018

    This was definitely not bad, but with the noodles it came out bland for me. It really cried out for some heat.

  • Delys77 on June 10, 2013

    Pg. 270 If you have all the garnishes ready the dish comes together in about an hour or so if you use commercial stock. If you make your own it is closer to two hours. Overall the curry has very good flavour and the broth was lovely. I deboned a chicken carcass and chopped all the meat which worked out to about 1 lb 9 oz. My primary suggestion is to maybe add a bit of salt, soy, or fish sauce when you toss the noodles because they were a tad bland on their own. Alternatively make sure you get lots of the curry sauce poured over the noodles. I would avoid the chickpea flour as it made the noodles gummy. Flat rice noodles would work just fine.

  • thekitchenchronicles on March 19, 2016

    This was an absolutley delicious meal that was really not difficult to make and was filled with different textures and flavors. I did not make my own broth, and it didn't not take long at all to put together once everything was chopped and ready. Based on Delys77's note I avoided the chickpea flour as I could tell I wasn't going to like the texture. I wrote this up on my blog: http://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2015/10/02/mandalay-noodles-with-chicken-curry-mandalay-mondi/

• Tender greens salad with crispy fried shallots

  • TrishaCP on May 24, 2018

    This was amazing- even without the shrimp paste. Pungent, savory, salty, bitter- just a great dish. I would definitely serve with rice or another mild grain/starch, since it is very flavorful. (I used quinoa, which actually went really well with this dish.) I used hon tsai tai as the green.

  • Delys77 on June 10, 2013

    Pg. 49 I used Bok Choy as there was no baby bok choy and it was still very good. I loved the balance of the dish and would definitely repeat. The chick pea flour was fine in this.

• Crayfish curry

  • TrishaCP on March 30, 2018

    This was very simple and very delicious. I used a pound of shelled crayfish tails, so there wasn't as much sauce, just lots of delicious crayfish. I used three mild green cayenne chiles and one spicy chile (jalapeño) and that was the perfect heat for us.

• Burmese tea-leaf salad (Laphet thoke)

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2013

    There are two options for serving this salad, one is to use cabbage and tomatoes, and to toss the salad. The other is to just use the fermented tea leaves, the dried shrimp, and the other crispies, arrange them separately, and not toss it. I did a little of each method. I arranged shredded napa cabbage and cherry tomatoes in one dish, and arranged sesame seeds, shrimp, peanuts, fermented tea leaves, and split roasted soybeans in another dish. I let each person dip into the ingredients, toss them in their own bowl, with the dressing made of garlic oil, lime juice, and fish sauce. I could eat this all the time! Lots of crunch, lots of flavor (complex is the word for the day regarding the entire meal). And just so darn interesting.

• Tart-sweet chile-garlic sauce (Nga yoke thee achin)

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2013

    I used New Mexico, Arbol, and Noras. I found this sauce absolutely hypnotizing. I kept wanting to taste it over and over. It is all the things it says it is sweet, tart, garlicky, and hot. Complex. So much better than many sauces that end up tasting too one-note. Love this.

• Seafood noodles with egg

  • L.Nightshade on June 22, 2013

    The Seafood Noodles with Egg is just a variation note at the end of the Seafood Noodles recipe. I chose to use only cut up prawns, and the strips of omelet, as we had chicken as our main course, and this as a side. I made a very thin omelet, and cut it into strips, added that in near the end, as described in the note. In addition to the mung sprouts, I added a handful of sunflower sprouts, and a couple handfuls of sliced spinach. These were added just because they needed to get used! I did not have shrimp paste, so I mashed up a salt-cured anchovy in a little fish sauce. qian ning anchovy or fish sauce as a replacement, so I used a little of both. I did have, and used, doenjang, which was such a flavorful addition. Everything else was as written in the seafood recipe. I served it with lime wedges and chile oil. This was a wonderful, complexly flavored dish. The 3/4 pound of dried rice noodles makes a huge amount, for which I'm thankful for today, as it will be dinner again.

• Standout tomato chutney

  • Allegra on December 13, 2012

    Standout Tomato Chutney p 206-Awesome. Like a pungent, spicy tomato sauce. Great mixed with rice as a flavouring condiment. A definite do-over.

• Shrimp curry

  • Delys77 on April 08, 2013

    Pg. 136 This was very different from what I expected, but still very good. Essentially it is shrimp lightly cooked in a umami laden tomato sauce. I used crushed tomatoes and it yielded a slightly thicker result that that shown in the picture. That said the tomato sauce was very nice and the shrimp were perfectly cooked. I would repeat.

  • Bloominanglophile on January 18, 2018

    A nice, lighter shrimp curry. Served with rice and the Mandalay Grated Carrot Salad.

  • kitchen_chick on March 02, 2019

    The recipes says lime is optional, but I think it's necessary - even if it's a squirt of bottled lime juice rather than fresh limes. Without the citrus element, the dish is rather bland.

  • sosayi on March 20, 2018

    Quick, easy and satisfying. I loved the flavor that the turmeric and shallots added to the sauce. To make my "I hate green flecks in things" three year old happy, I served the cilantro and chopped green chiles on the side, which had the added benefit of letting us have as much spice as we wanted. I liked bloominanglophile's serving notes and also served it with (brown jasmine) rice and the Mandalay Grated Carrot Salad.

  • Kduncan on February 23, 2021

    Easier shrimp curry. Very tomato based. As someone else has mentioned really need the lime juice to make it a more interesting dish.

• Roasted eggplant salad

  • Delys77 on June 26, 2013

    Partner thought this was just ok but I just loved it. I think the texture of the eggplant is what threw him off. I pickled the shallots in the lime juice and the result was very nice. The cilantro combined with the three forms of shallot (raw, fried and oil), with the hit of lime and salt paired very well with the creamy eggplant. Lovely side dish.

• Saucy spiced meat and potatoes

  • Delys77 on June 25, 2013

    This one wasn't a winner for us. The meat essentially boils resulting in a somewhat un-appealing looking dish. Flavour wise it was fine but for us it wasn't tasty enough to make up for the look.

• Egg noodles with pork in coconut sauce (Swe daung khaut swe)

  • Delys77 on January 28, 2014

    Pg. 248 This one was a winner for us! The dish comes together quite easily in terms of prep, and only require about 10-15 minutes cooking. Plus the egg noodles I purchased were perfectly al dente in about 5 minutes. I would suggest oiling them very slightly after draining, as well as making sure that your sauce is very well seasoned as the noodles are not seasoned. Lastly, I substituted more fish sauce in a bit of broth instead of the shrimp paste as mine had gone off. This worked very well but I am sure the shrimp paste would also be lovely. All in all a reasonably quick and easy meal with lots of flavour, that is a bit out of the ordinary.

• Seafood noodle stir-fry (Kagyi kai)

  • Delys77 on June 25, 2013

    This was a really lovely noodle dish. I did modify by steaming the mussels beforehand and this worked very well. I might up the seafood next time as the lovely seafood was a little bit too sparse as written. Otherwise the dish is very easy and super flavourful.

• Coconut sauce noodles (Ohn-no khaut swe)

  • Delys77 on August 01, 2023

    This was doable on a weeknight if you use the shorter version she proposes. I used a good Asian canned broth and augmented it with some ginger and green onion. I also used boneless thigh to make prep simpler. The base of the "sauce" is quite simple but tuns out to be quite aromatic from the large quantity of shallots and the nutty toasted chickpea flour. I didn't have time to do the all the garnishes but I had plenty more sliced shallot, some nice lime, and a bit of minced green parts of the green onion and it was lovely.

• Shan village khaut swe

  • Delys77 on February 04, 2013

    Pg. 266 The dish is almost like an Asian Bolognese as it is noodles topped with a meat/tomato sauce. The seasonings are different of course but the composition is very similar. The end result yields a lovely umami sauce with delicious garnishes that give it heat and pungency. The only issue with the dish is that the noodles don't absorb much of the sauce as they are cooked separately and not tossed. I would think that tossing the noodles into the wok at the end might make for a better blending.

• Eggplant delight

  • thekitchenchronicles on January 17, 2013

    Eggplant is my favorite vegetable and I wanted to love this, but I found the flavors a bit too subtle and the texture (like a pulpy eggplant puree) off-putting.

• Dried shrimp powder

  • thekitchenchronicles on June 11, 2013

    All I can say is...be careful with this stuff. Open all the windows before you start grinding because the end result is so pungent that I almost made myself sick getting it out of the food processor.

• Hearty pork and vegetable soup

  • MyBeautifulExplodingKitchen on January 27, 2015

    Good success, served with the Mandalay Grated Carrot Salad. A garlic clove and chili paste with soya bean oil were nice additions.

• Simmered cabbage, Shan style (Galaam oop)

  • LFL on July 17, 2022

    4 stars. Just a handful of ingredients — cabbage, shallots, tomatoes, turmeric, roasted peanuts, brown miso, salt. We used less oil and salt, added extra peanuts as well as some sauteed tofu to bulk it up. We left out some hot pepper and substituted half Thai fermented soybean paste and half miso for the soybean disks and we served it on brown rice.It was surprisingly good, especially for cabbage. Our food processor shredded it *really* finely so this went faster—be careful not to overcook.Cabbage isn’t my favorite vegetable and I thought this came out really well, with some natural sweetness.

• Shrimp and winged bean salad

  • Zephyrness on March 28, 2020

    This is a favorite at my house, though I usually use the suggested cucumber rather than winged beans. It comes together pretty quickly. A quality fish sauce is essential. I use Phu Quoc Fish Sauce. Grocery store versions, at least in the midwest, just don't cut it. The family prefers a very small amount of habernero chili, when I can get it, serrano when I can't. If you want to make a full meal of it, serve it over wide rice noodles, cooked and cooled.

• Chicken aloo (Gaeng gai sai aloo)

  • Kduncan on May 14, 2019

    The dish itself was pretty good. The only change I made was adding time to cook the potatoes a bit more. But it is a huge portion. As there are only 2 of us, we had leftovers for lunch everyday for a week.

• Simmered cabbage with beef

  • Stephenn31 on February 07, 2023

    Delicious and easy. I stirred in a bit of soy sauce at the end for some salt and umami

• 5 second rule

  Duguid is a bad-ass adventurer in the best possible way, one of those brave souls who immerses herself in other cultures... This is one book you'll want to take to bed. I promise you vivid dreams.

  Full review

• Food52 by Kurt Anderson

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks vs. April Bloomfield's A Girl and Her Pig

  Full review

• Food52 by Nathan Williams

  The 2013 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks winner vs. Adam Roberts' The Secrets of the Best Chefs

  Full review

• Lisa Is Cooking

  It’s been a pleasure to get to know Burma from this book, and the food has been every bit as delicious as it looks on the page.

  Full review

• Style Saloniste

  Her vibrant and rare photography of Burmese markets, people, landscapes, local scenes, ingredients, tools, offer an intimate portrait of a vivid and unknown country.

  Full review

• Fine Cooking

  I've been a big fan of Naomi Duguid's cookbooks for years now, and her newest looks to be her best yet. Full of flavor-packed recipes... the book is also a photo journal and travelogue...

  Full review

• Boston Globe by T. Susan Chang

  ...Duguid’s thoughtful efforts to capture the taste of the country more than satisfy homebound, curious palates.

  Full review

• Food & Wine by Bruce Aidells

  I wish I could have spent the vast amount of time Naomi did in Burma (she has traveled there for 30 years) to get to know home cooks and write about my adventures.

  Full review