Burmese Restaurants And Cooking Lessons In Bangkok/pattaya?

[Hairy]

In Taipei, there are a few blocks near Nanshijiao MRT stop that are known as "Burmese Alley". They have some really fantastic food there. My favorite was shrimp in a sort of hot red curry sauce.

Anything similar in Bangkok or Pattaya? Any cooking lessons available from the Burmese? I know there are a lot of refugees, but given the difficulties even well-financed Western foreigners have in starting businesses. . . .

[bkkjames]

In Taipei, there are a few blocks near Nanshijiao MRT stop that are known as "Burmese Alley". They have some really fantastic food there. My favorite was shrimp in a sort of hot red curry sauce.

Anything similar in Bangkok or Pattaya? Any cooking lessons available from the Burmese? I know there are a lot of refugees, but given the difficulties even well-financed Western foreigners have in starting businesses. . . .

Westerm food is it? No

Interesting though, not sure if anything I have eaten something Thai that might be similar to Burmese fare. Never heard of a Burmese restaurant in Bangkok either come to think of it.

Try the Thai food forum on here.

[Jingthing]

Perhaps there should be another forum about food that is not Thai, not western. For example, Burmese, Indian, Chinese, Ethiopian, Peruvian, etc.

I also love Burmese food. I learned about it at some good Burmese restaurants in San Francisco. There are a few places in Chiang Mai that I tried, but nothing nearly as good as San Francisco.

[NanaFoods]

I also love Burmese food. I learned about it at some good Burmese restaurants in San Francisco. There are a few places in Chiang Mai that I tried, but nothing nearly as good as San Francisco.

I went to Burma a few years ago... loved the food; their unique brands of curry, as well as the fusion of Chinese and Indian cuisine.

Here is a simple recipe I sort of "reverse engineered" from my experience at a small local shop, where there were no Westerners to be found.

Burmese Chili Fish (or Shrimp)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. Whole Fish (Snakehead, Catfish, etc.)

or 2 lbs. Shrimp, butterflied in shells

------------------------------------------------------

1 ts Turmeric

1/2 ts Salt or to taste

1/4 c Vegetable Oil for frying fish

Sauce:

3 Tb Coconut Oil

4-5 clv Garlic, sliced

9 Red Pearl Shallots, sliced

1 Tb Chinese Fermented Black Beans, minced

3/4 c Chili Flakes (hot)

1/2 c Water

1 1/2 ts Sugar

1 Tb Fish Sauce

-------------------

1 Cilantro sprig for garnish

Preparation:

Score the sides of the fish with a sharp knife. Mix Turmeric and salt and rub over fish and into the scored areas (or on the butterflied shrimp, if using). Allow to marinate 10-minutes.

For the sauce, melt the coconut oil in a pan and sauté the sliced garlic until well caramelized; remove from pan and reserve. Fry the sliced shallots in the same oil until just slightly caramelized. Set aside about 1-tablespoon of the fried shallots for garnish. Add the minced fermented black beans to the remaining shallots in the pan, as well as the chili flakes, water, sugar, fish sauce and caramelized garlic. Simmer until the water evaporates almost completely. Taste for salt; add more fish sauce (for salt) if necessary.

Fry the fish or shrimp in oil until done. Shrimp should only take 1- to 2-minutes; a fish filet about 3- to 4-minutes on each side (depending on thickness); a whole fish about 5- to 7-minutes on each side.

Plate up the fish, and then spoon the chili sauce over the top. Garnish with the reserved caramelized shallots and a sprig of cilantro.

Serve with steamed vegetables and white rice.

Yes its HOT!

And that's the way ChefHeat likes it.

But the black beans add a nice dimension to it and seem to slightly tame the piquancy.

Enjoy.

Edited November 13, 2008 by ChefHeat

[Jingthing]

Thanks, Chef, that definitely looks and sounds Burmese and not that hard to do. Rubbing turmeric though, doesn't it stain your hands?

BTW, some Chiang Mai dishes are Burmese influenced, most famous of course khao soy curry noodle soup.

One thing that disappoints in Thailand is the lack of good (or any) restaurants featuring the cuisines of neighboring countries (except Lao of course), such as Burmese, Malaysian/Singapore, and Vietnamese (yes I know there are many but they are generally either not good or done in a faux Thai frou frou style. Cambodian, no big loss.

Not to mention how hard to is to find a dedicated Hunan or Sichuan pr Hakka (etc.) restaurant here. Thai-Chinese has to be one the least wonderful Chinese variations. Oh well, can't have everything.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Jingthing

[Lickey]

What lovely ways to diguise the the taste of a nice fresh fish, I have never understood the adition of hot spices on fish or meat, unless of course if the fish or meat is old, then spices will disguise the rotting flesh.

Dover Sole, Atlantic Cod,Haddock,Plaice,Rock Ell, would you cover these in hot spices, I dont think so!,

Yes, off topic, but i want to taste a fish or cut of meat for what it is, i dont want a fancy looking dish that burns my mouth,

Ok Posters, please carry on posting, just had to get that off my chest,

Cheers, Lickey.

[NanaFoods]

What lovely ways to diguise the the taste of a nice fresh fish, I have never understood the adition of hot spices on fish or meat, unless of course if the fish or meat is old, then spices will disguise the rotting flesh.

Dover Sole, Atlantic Cod,Haddock,Plaice,Rock Ell, would you cover these in hot spices, I dont think so!,

Yes, off topic, but i want to taste a fish or cut of meat for what it is, i dont want a fancy looking dish that burns my mouth,

Ok Posters, please carry on posting, just had to get that off my chest,

Cheers, Lickey.

How in the pickins do you survive in Thailand?

I like the natural taste of fish (and other foods) as well, and I when I crave that, then I make and eat something Italian or other Western cuisine that shows off the natural flavor...Cantonese food is good for that as well... or I might even dig into some sushi/sashimi, etc.

However, personally, I like variety..... I can't handle eating the same style day in and day out. And so I also enjoy the moderate- to highly-spiced foods common here on the Indochina peninsula.... as well as in India, parts of China, Korea, Africa, Central/South America, etc.... Most spices are medicinal as well - so they're good for ya as well as delicious.

[Jingthing]

Note to Mod: How about moving this topic to the new INTERNATIONAL food forum?

Spicy vs. non-spicy? This is totally a personal palate preference thing. I am like Chef H, on different occasions, I like both. It may be that the development of spicy cuisines was related to covering up rotten foods, but that doesn't make these dishes any less delicious today (and hopefully we won't have to use rotten meat). Burmese food overall is highly spiced, though not all are chili hot like the recipe added by Chef H.

Edited November 14, 2008 by Jingthing

[TantrikLvr]

Actually there are a couple of small cheap, delicious and simple Burmese restaurants, one vegetarian just down the street on Soi Pan, the same side and the other across the street further down) from the Indian temple on Silom. Just ask for the Burmese menu. The Tea Leaf salad is superb! The owners are Nepalese Burmese and they don't advertise the fact, as the Thais don't seem to want or like anything Burmese food in this country (they have been shut down and run out every time a nice one opens!), dating back from centuries of animosity. Enjoy!!

[Jingthing]

Actually there are a couple of small cheap, delicious and simple Burmese restaurants, one vegetarian just down the street on Soi Pan, the same side and the other across the street further down) from the Indian temple on Silom. Just ask for the Burmese menu. The Tea Leaf salad is superb! The owners are Nepalese Burmese and they don't advertise the fact, as the Thais don't seem to want or like anything Burmese food in this country (they have been shut down and run out every time a nice one opens!), dating back from centuries of animosity. Enjoy!!

Hmmm. Its been a few years since I looked for these places as I heard of them before, and never found such places. Not saying they don't exist. Perhaps some more precise names and directions?

[JohnGotti]

bump

[mauiguy90]

Found this recipe for Burmese Prawn Curry on a website called chow.com . Don't know if you are still interested but there's a great video on how to prepare this recipe, step by step:

http://www.chow.com/stories/11510

They also have a few other recipes in the website, if you browse around.

[frenchfarangjomtien]

Hello,

Do you know any Burmese restaurant in Bkk now ? I heard around SOI ABAC at Ramkamhaeng, but not sure ?

Anything Myanmar doesn't seem so trendy among Thai ?

But photos of Burma food look good !

Please help !

[sabaijai]

I can confirm that there is more than one Burmese restaurant on Pan Rd, having passed two of them on a recent walk in the area. I ate at one of the two last year but don't remember the name, very good tho.

Yes there are four authentic Burmese restaurants on Soi ABAC, off Ramkhamhaeng Soi 24, an area with many Burmese residents. As on Pan Rd, look for the signs written in Burmese script. Each is named after the cook, as is often the case in Myanmar:

Daw Nwe

Ko Tayo

Ma Hlaing

Ma Che Ma Cho Sain

Ray Tea Station, operated by a man from Yangon and located on the north side of Sukhumvit next to Phrakhanong BTS, serves Burmese and Indian snacks as well. Haven't yet tried it.

[northend_boyz]

Hello,

Do you know any Burmese restaurant in Bkk now ? I heard around SOI ABAC at Ramkamhaeng, but not sure ?

Anything Myanmar doesn't seem so trendy among Thai ?

But photos of Burma food look good !

Please help !

Yes, i can confirm that their is a Burmese restuarant on SOI ABAC at Ramkamhaeng. They don't have a huge selection but what they have on offer is really good. Truthfully it seems to be more of a tea shop than an actual restaurant but i'd say it's worth a visit.