From Yangon, this winter

Pushpesh Pant

Remember the old Hindi film song, “Piya gaye Rangoon, wahan se kiya hai telephone”? Well, much has since changed. Yangon is the name of the place now and WhatsApp has replaced the ancient telephone the woman held in her hand. However, some things, thank god, remain the same. A bowl of steaming and spicy Khao Suey continues to be blissful. With the nip in the air setting in, we strongly recommend this noodle soup topped with myriad condiments for colour, taste and crunch.

Khao Suey

• Chicken boneless 500g
• Noodles 1 packet
• Coconut milk 500 ml
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder 1 tsp
• Shallots 2-3
• Green chillies 2-3
• Red chillies 2-3
• Curry leaves A large sprig
• Peanuts (roasted and coarsely pounded) 3 tbsp
• Ginger (fresh scraped and grated) 1 tbsp
• Garlic (fried and chopped) 2 tsp
• Onion (sliced and deep fried) 1/2
• Black soya sauce (optional) 1 tsp
• Lemon wedges for garnishing
• Oil 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

Method

Cook noodles according to instructions on the packet. Don’t overcook. Drain and keep aside. Clean, wash and pat dry the chicken. Cut it into very small pieces. Sprinkle turmeric powder and grated ginger over it. Add some soya sauce to this and keep aside for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and add shallots to it. Stir fry for a minute and then add the marinated chicken. Stir fry on medium flame till chicken turns brown. Reduce the heat and stir in the coconut milk diluted with a little water. Stir continuously. Now put in the curry leaves and chillies. Let it cook for a few more minutes. Add the noodles and simmer for a minute. Serve hot after garnishing with lemon wedges. Some people prefer to thicken the soup with a little roasted gram flour; we don’t. You too should go for what you like. Enjoy!