The President of Myanmar was in India not long back on a state visit. The red carpet event kindled old memories. The country was then known as Burma, and till the outbreak of the Second World War, it was administratively a part of the British Indian Empire. A passport wasn’t needed to cross the border on land or on water. The Indian diasporic community was quite large and comprised a diversity of people from Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Some arrived as indentured labour — a euphemism for bonded slaves — while others went there in search of a better future. These included Marwaris from Rajasthan, besides Parsis and Sindhis. Burma was transformed by Indian doctors, lawyers, teachers, clerks, merchants and it was only natural that food and flavours mingled along the way. What disrupted this old relationship was the Japanese occupation during the war. The once-flourishing economy was destroyed. Burma, a land of plenty and precious gems, tottered on the verge of bankruptcy. Indians began to be viewed as allies of an oppressive enemy since one section of freedom fighters led by Subhas Chandra Bose had joined hands with the Japanese and a contingent of the Indian National Army was marching with them in South-East Asia. But that is a different story for another time. Burma, under U Nu, was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement but after a military coup in 1962, the country turned inward. It has been in the throes of a civil war and ethnic strife and gets into headlines only due to its geopolitical sensitivity. What a pity! Myanmar is a fascinating land, stretching across varied geographies and shares its borders with India, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Thailand. Over centuries, it has absorbed diverse culinary influences, assimilating them in an amazing manner. There are other gems besides the well-known khao suey in its culinary treasure trove. The Burmese salads, to our mind, are far more interesting than the better-known Thai salads. Some ingredients like kaffir lime, bird’s-eye chilli and galangal are common but the use of fermented fish or fermented beans paste makes these distinctive. In Myanmar, salads are used as a starter, snack, side dish or even a light meal. Peanuts are commonly used for crunch. The base may be rice or noodles supplemented with cabbage and other leafy vegetables. The salad is dressed with chilli oil, fried garlic and finely sliced onions. Our favourite in the summer is the raw mango salad, and we strongly recommend it to our dear readers to beat the heat and keep their cool! If a lighter less sweeter salad is preferred, you can skip the mango completely. The salad can be made more substantial by adding whatever you fancy and is at hand — tofu or beans. Enjoy!
Burmese raw mango salad
Ingredients
Raw unripe mangoes 500 gm
Red onions (medium, finely sliced) 2
Garlic cloves (peeled, crushed) 6
Green chillies (slit, deseeded) 4
Fermented bean paste 1 tsp
Cabbage (medium, shredded) ½ head
Peanuts ½ cup
Steamed rice/boiled noodles 1 cup
Gram flour/sattu (roasted) 3 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt To taste
Bird’s-eye chillies To taste
Method
Peel and slice the mangoes in thin slices. Heat oil in a pan and roast the peanuts. Take out and reserve for later. Fry the crushed garlic. Keep aside.
Lightly toss the shredded cabbage in the remaining oil.
Take a large bowl and put all the ingredients, including steamed rice or boiled noodles in it. Blend well using your hand. This is what gives Burmese salad its special texture. You may add any leftover gravy to moisten the salad.
— The writer is a food critic
