Burma beckons

Pushpesh Pant

There was a time when Indians treated Burma, now Myanmar, as a province of this land. Much has changed since but affinities in food remain. Curry or kari in Burma and Thailand are redolent with aromas and flavours that bear testimony to our shared cultural heritage. This one is for our readers who love to experiment but like to play it safe with vegetarian ingredients. The purists may insist that Thai or Burmese dishes don’t taste the same without the dried fish paste but we are absolutely certain that you can dispense with that tamasik ingredient and still experience bliss. Just ensure that you use fresh ingredients. 

Eggplant Tofu Burmese Curry

Ingredients

Eggplants........................................................................500g

Tofu...................................................................................200g 

Beans................................................................................100g

Fresh ginger..........................................................2-inch piece

Turmeric paste..................................................................1 tsp

Green onions...................................................................100g

Thai chillies.......................................................................A few

Lemongrass...................................................................1 stalk

Tomatoes (medium sized)..........................................................2 

Palm sugar......................................................................1 tbsp 

Coconut milk................................................................400 ml

Soya sauce (dark)..........................................................2tbsp

Vegetable oil.................................................................2tbsp

Method

Cut eggplant into small cubes, retaining the skin. String and cut the beans into three-inch pieces. Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. Chop tomatoes after dry roasting them for two minutes on griddle. Prepare the curry paste by grinding together the tomatoes with turmeric paste, green onions, ginger and lemongrass. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the paste till it loses it’s raw aroma. Add eggplants and tofu along with the beans. Stir fry for a minute and slowly pour the coconut milk. Keep stirring briskly to avoid curdling. Pour in the soya sauce and add palm sugar. Bring to boil and then reduce the heat and simmer till the desired consistency is obtained. 

Enjoy with steamed rice or roti.