Burmese Khow Suey

Sunday dinner for me has to be exotic (which only means not the usual dal-roti-subzi ) or  has to be  Dominoe's pizza delivery.  Since I am still stuck with all those coconuts from last few days pooja attendance , I had to come up with something that uses coconut. Had I not been blogging , it would have been dosa with coconut chutney but my mind is on a new track to come up with more interesting ideas. Thai cuisine also uses a lot of coconut but the other ingredients are not so easy to source so I decided to try out making Burmese Khow Suey.
So what is Burmese Khow Suey...it is a one meal noodles (or rice) and curry dish and has obviously originated from Burma .The curry can be of meat or vegetable. The curry is served on top of rice /noodles and is topped with a very interesting variety of condiments. This is a vegetarian version , but can be made the same way with meat, just add chicken/fish/prawns instead of the vegetables and about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce along with the regular soya sauce. The list of ingredients is long but that doesn't mean that making it is a daunting task and the beauty of the final product is totally worth it!


Ingredients (serves 4)

2 cups mixed vegetables (french beans, carrots, cauliflower,broccoli,baby corn, green peas)
1/2 cup paneer pieces
3 cups thin coconut milk
1 cup thick coconut milk
salt to taste
boiled rice/regular noodles  Or steamed rice

For the paste :
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1" piece ginger
3 medium onions,roughly chopped
3 green chillies
1 tablespoon haldi powder

3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons roasted besan
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons palm sugar(or regular sugar) - can add as per taste, I prefer this slighlty extra sweet
1 tablespoon light soya sauce

For the garnish
roasted peanuts
chopped coriander


For the condiments :
crushed potato chips
chopped spring onion
fried onion
fried garlic pieces
lemon wedges
chilli flakes
green chilli, chopped
boiled egg,grated (for the meat version)

1. Grind all the ingredients of the paste in a blender to a smooth paste.
2. Heat oil, add this paste and fry on a medium flame till the paste is well roasted and the oil leaves the sides
3. Add the besan and mix well, the paste would become lumpy at this stage.
4. Add the thin coconut milk and stir all the ingredients with a whisk to remove the lumps. Add the vegetables/meat ,salt and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the flame and let the the sauce boil till the vegetables/meat become tender
5. Add the sugar, lemon juice and the soya sauce (and fish sauce)
6. Finally add the thick coconut milk and let the sauce simmer for 1-2 minutes.
7. Pour into a bowl, garnish with coriander leaves, peanuts.
8. Serve with all topping condiments arranged around the main bowl.

'How does one eat this ?' is what you will surely be asked..well pretty simple, put the rice/noodles in a bowl ,pour the curry on top and then garnish your bowl with ALL the condiments to get the trueeeee flavour..this is Sunday comfort food!!!