Last night I hung out with my friend just over the mountain from my house, shes Burmese. When you are the only person of your race it can feel a bit strange. Im kind of getting used to it a bit though.
Anyway so this lady comes running up to me “Ming ga la ba!!!!” (Burmese greeting) and shakes my hand vigorously. I think she may have me confused with someone else but it turns out shes just being really nice. She is the cook and she has cooked for around fifty people , traditional Burmese food. By the time she is finished filling me up and schooling me up on what all the dishes are called Im ready to pass out from so much food. So I forgot to shoot the main dishes stuff sorry, brain fog. There were mainly spicy rice noodles and big pots of stew cooked on wood fires poured over noodles.
But in the kitchen there is this atmosphere of more cruisy food preparations. I like watching how well everyone works together. In fact its one of my favourite experiences with ethnic minorities here in Thailand. It isnt utopia but there is alot of beautiful cooperation that seems to just come natural to some people.
This man is making a Burmese desert called something like “100 layers” its kind of a Roti thats expertly layered and then squashed and fried. Inevitably delish, of course, served with sweetened condensed milk drizzled over it. He studied for eight months to do this. As he flattens it and flicks it over its like a drum beat. Totally precise.
Then there is this fried vegetable. Which with all my efforts I still cant identify. Its served with this “burn-your-face-off-hot” chilli dipping sauce. I thought I heard someone say Naam Xjin which would be Chinese Sauce but I might be wrong. This dish is called Bu Di Jo.
This is Bu Di Jo just cooked.
I find the flow of cultures fascinating. These guys were making Simosas and I was talking with someone about the Indian and Bangladeshi influence on Burmese food. Heres a map of where Burma ( Myanmar ) sits so you can see how it is influenced culturally, China in the North. Thai and Chinese and Indian influences all around.
Some really strong tea that was boiled up in a big pot. It was so strong I got the shakes.
Burmese Simosas
This is the cornflour and legume mix for these hard fried cakes which were also broken up and put over the stews and mixed in amongst noodle dishes. Crunchy bits through your noodles and also with dipping sauce.
Making the 100 layers.
She chipped a tooth. We didnt have a mirror to show her so we took a photo which made her stop crying once she saw it .
