Myanmar’s food

By: Keith Lyons

After decades of isolation, Myanmar is opening up to the rest of the world. Virtually unknown outside South-East Asia, Myanmar's cuisine is now being discovered by an increasing number of visitors, as well as those fortunate to have a rare Burmese restaurant in their city. So is Burmese food just rice and curry? Is it true they don't just drink tea, but also eat it? Are Myanmar dishes too simple, spicy, oily or sweet?

For starters, if you look on a map you will see that Myanmar is located between three gastronomic superpowers: India, China and Thailand. As you would expect, there are Indian, Chinese and South-East Asian influences on the food you find in Myanmar, but Burmese cuisine is quite distinctive, and not just curry and rice.

Sure, steamed white rice is the foundation of many meals, but travelers to Myanmar are often impressed with the variety of food available not just across the country, but at each meal. Let me explain. When you order a curry, hearty salad or noodle dish, you'll get a spread of accompaniments: pickled vegetables, fermented beans, fried shrimps, onion and chilli, raw fresh vegetables and dips, fresh herbs like mint and pennywort, and a paste made from salted fish or shrimps called ngapi. In fact ngapi is more than a condiment, being the base for many mains, salads and soups. Also often served free with many meals is a simple black pepper soup.

A Gado-Gado Recipe while Dreaming about a Mansion

By: Jacobus E. Lato

Gado-Gado is an Indonesian vegetable dish served with peanut sauce on top. It is often sold and enjoyed on the street. One night, several months ago, one of my friends told me a story while we were passing an up-and-coming area in Surabaya. “Jack, do you see that big house over there.” I looked towards the pointed direction. “It is owned by a gado-gado seller, who used to sell his food near the front yard of the house before. But now he is the owner of the house.”

I remembered vividly coming here with friends several years ago, patiently waiting in line to savor the seller’s excellent gado-gado. Hundreds of customers must have thought the same thing, because now the owner, Markus Maturo, hasn’t only bought this mansion, but also currently leads 6 automotive factories! If a similar from rags to riches experience awaits you after making gado-gado remains to be seen, but one thing for sure: Gado-Gado is a healthy, crunchy and delicious dish any time of day!

A Malaysian Christmas Spread: Green Apple Chutney

By: Erna Dyanty

Every year in December, the streets will be covered with shades of red, green and white. Everything seems warmer even when you’re in the cold. Kids come up with a wish list, dad’s figuring out the wiring for the lights and mom is listing out her shopping list for the kitchen. Christmas is that time of the year where everyone comes together under the tree for presents and at the dining table for a major end of the year feast.

While some of you may sit at home, dreaming of a white Christmas and a huge Turkey, we Malaysians wait for a sunny holiday and a feast with a spread of local goodness. Christmas in Malaysia, like any other festive season is celebrated by everyone! Whether you’re a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Atheist, we come together and just celebrate the year with thanks, a feast and of course the presents.

Tongseng Kambing: Spicy Goat in a Smooth but Fiery Curry

By: Aisah Wolfard

Tongseng Kambing is best enjoyed in the rainy season especially in the evening. Tongseng includes a lot of indonesian herbs and spices, giving this dish a lot of flavor. Kambing is the Indonesian word for goat. Many men in Indonesia believe eating kambing will give them more power and energy (yes, also between the sheets;-).

Regardless of any benefits to masculinity, Tongseng Kambing is a smooth but fiery dish that will appease any rumbling stomach. The coconut milk makes it creamy, while the spice paste adds heat, an irresistible dish altogether. Cooking tongseng kambing is easier than it seems, once you have all the ingredients, so let’s give it a try.

You can replace the goat with mutton or even beef if desired.

Baso Recipe: Indonesian Soup with Meatballs the Size of Tennisballs!

By: Aisah Wolfard

One of the most popular streetfood dishes is baso. When the baso seller walks through the neighborhood, people flock to his stall to order a spicy broth filled with a variety of meatballs. The baso meatballs come in all shapes and sizes. The original meatballs were the size of ping pong balls, but due to popular demand they now sometimes come as big as tennisballs.

Best of all, baso is easy to make and instantly gratifying! This baso recipe teaches you how to make the meatballs and the broth. Spice things up with diced spring onion, bawang goreng (fried onions), sambal, soy sauce and so on!

Dapoer Aisah: Soto Betawi Recipe

By: Aisah Wolfard

The perfect cure against the cold is soto betawi, a hot bowl of beef soup to warm you up! Soto in Indonesian means soup with extra ingredients. It comes in many shapes and forms, for example Soto Ayam (chicken soup) and Soto Madura (soup from the island of Madura).

The soup that we’ll make today is called Betawi, referring to  Batavia or, as the capital is known now: Jakarta. The Betawi are the original inhabitants of Jakarta and surroundings and have their own culture, language and cuisine. Indonesian style Soto Betawi will probably not be that appetizing to foreigners because it includes beef offals. So in this foreigner friendly version, we will only use the meat. Smell the herbs and spices, free yourself from a runny nose and savor this Soto Betawi!

Thai Green Papaya Salad Recipe

By: Emma Kwee

Ahhh… time for a refreshing Thai style papaya salad. Som Tam as it is called in Thailand, is great as a side dish or even as a crunchy healthy lunch. The typical well balanced Thai flavor that incorporates sweet, sour, spicy and salty tones hits every taste bud spoon after spoon. You need to get your hands on a green (unripe) papaya instead of a ripe one (the fruit should be firm and an even shade of green).

Other essentials are a grater and a mortar and pestle, because we have some pounding to do before serving up our papaya salad!

Pepes Ikan: Steamed Fish in Banana Leaf

By: Jack Lato

Overcome your petty associations though and you will notice that ikan mas are quite enak (tasty)! Delicious and aromatic,this dish is fantastic to serve family and friends. Opening the banana leaves is almost like opening a present. You can of course also use other fish, such as tuna, cod, trout and so on.

Sweet potatoe and Corn Pudding

By: Erna Dyanty

Ramadhan is the month that families come together to break the  fasting. It is also during this time, recipes are shared between mothers and daughters. This year I've been fortunate to have my mother in-law share her delicious sweet potato and corn pudding recipe with me and in the spirit of Ramadhan, I will now share it with you!

Kuih Cara Berlauk Recipe (Malaysian Mince Beef Dumplings)

By: Erna Dyanty

Kuih cara berlauk is a Malay inspired dumpling cooked on a hot plate like the Japanese style dumplings called Takoyaki. It’s a savoury snack that can be prepared for breakfast or tea. Suitable to serve during special occasions. It is also great served as appetizer during a fancy party.

If you have a special takoyaki pan, use that, if not use any flat frying pan.