Burmese Egg Noodles with Curry

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Burmese Egg Noodles with Curry (Photo by pengrin/flickr)

Known as ono kaukswe if it has a lot of coconut milk gravy, while panthe kaukswe features a spicier, drier curry.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 x 1.5kg/3 lb roasting chicken
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
2 large onions, chopped
2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste (ngapi)
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder
2 teaspoons salt
500 ml/1 pint/2 cups thin coconut milk
500 ml/1 pint/2 cups thick coconut milk
2 tablespoons chick pea flour
500 g/1 lb egg noodles

Directions

Joint chicken and remove any excess fat.

Cut joints into smaller pieces so flavours will penetrate. Pur&eacutee garlic, ginger, onion and shrimp paste on high speed in an electric blender, adding a spoonful of peanut oil if necessary to facilitate blending.

Heat the remaining oils together in a large, heavy pan and fry blended ingredients, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue to fry, turning chicken pieces until they are no longer pink. Add turmeric, chilli powder, salt and thin coconut milk. Simmer until chicken is tender, adding a little hot water if it dries up.

Stir in thick coconut milk and stir constantly while it comes to simmering point. Mix chick pea flour with a little cold water, add to gravy and stir until it thickens.

Cook noodles in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until done. Pour cold water into the pan to stop noodles cooking, drain in a colander and serve at once with curry and a selection of accompaniments. These are intended for each person to add according to taste and include fried garlic flakes, crisp fried shallots, crisp noodles, fried dried chillies, chilli powder, roasted chick pea powder, lemon wedges, chopped fresh coriander, finely sliced spring onions and fish sauce.

Recipe excerpted from Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)