Mohinga

Mummy made my favourite Burmese dish - Mohinga last weekend!

 

It was so delicious and takes me back to my childhood! Ohh massive massive love.

 

 

So for those that don't know, Mohinga is one of Burma's national dishes. It's rice noodles in fish soup. In fact, you might have seen Luke Nguyen go to Burma and have mohinga.

 

There are different varieties of mohinga in various regions of Burma such as Rakhine mohinga with more fish paste and less soup. Its ingredients depend on their availability. However, the standard dish comes from southern Burma, with fresh fish!The main ingredients of mohinga are chickpea flour and/or crushed toasted rice, garlic, onions, lemongrass, banana tree stem, ginger, fish paste, fish sauce and catfish in a rich broth cooked and kept on the boil in a cauldron. It is served with rice vermicelli, dressed and garnished with fish sauce, a squeeze of lime, crispfried onions, coriander, spring onions, crushed dried chilli and, as optional extras (but I HIGHLY recommend that you put all the garnishes in!!)

 

 

 

I really need to learn to make this otherwise when I grow up (i reliase I am already grown up..) and leave home I will crave this so MUST learn to make it! Otherwise I will have to go to the Burmese weekend market (Second Saturday of every month) at Stirling Chinese Community Centre on Stirling Street in Northbridge/Highgate and eat it.

 

According to the SBS website this is how you make it...

(NOTE THE FOLLOWING IS COPIED FROM THE SBS WEBSITE AND IS THUS COPYRIGHTED BY THEM!) 

Ingredients

½ cup peanut oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, finely sliced
2cm piece of ginger, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp sweet paprika
3 tbsp cooked, crushed chickpeas
85g toasted rice powder
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 red shallots, peeled
2 hardboiled eggs, sliced
100g boiled banana trunk (alternatively, use banana blossom)
600g cooked vermicelli noodles
4 sprigs of coriander, to garnish
4 snake beans, finely sliced
Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Broth
1 whole catfish, cleaned
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
2 gloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp turmeric powder
2L cold water

Chilli paste
3 lemongrass stalks, white part only, finely sliced
4 whole dried chillies
4 red shallots, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
2cm ginger, finely sliced

Preparation

To make the broth, add the catfish, lemongrass, garlic, turmeric and water to a large saucepan or stockpot. Bring to the boil and skim any impurities that rise to the surface. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth then remove the fish meat from the bones. Set aside and reserve the broth.

Meanwhile, to make the paste, in a mortar and pestle, pound the lemongrass, chillies, red shallots, garlic and ginger to a nice paste. Set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a saucepan and add the turmeric. Next, add the chilli paste. Add the red onion, lemongrass, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the flaked fish and coat in the paste. Sauté over low-medium heat for 20. Add the shrimp paste and paprika. Continue to cook, over low heat, for a further 5 minutes to infuse flavours.

Return the broth to the stockpot. Add the chickpeas paste, rice powder, fish sauce and flaked fish mixture. Season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the red shallots and boiled egg. Add the banana trunk.

Divide the vermicelli noodles among 4 bowls. Pour the broth over the noodles. Garnish with coriander, snake beans and chilli flakes to serve.

 

 

hmm.. don't know how authentic this is going to be.. should try it one day. Otherwise must ask mum and grandma how to make this! In fact I should spend a day with each member of my family learning how to cook my favourite dishes (as all of them are good at cooking a particular favourite) then record and write it all down so I don't forget it! Oh and then turn it into a family recipe book!

 

 

 

Mummy's homemade Mohinga