Authentic Myanmar Cooking: Shan State Noodle Recipe
Here is the promised Shan State Noodle recipe following up with the previous blog post.
This recipe was created based on my notes and observations during my experience with Pansy. The batch we made was big as it was intended for use in her restaurant. I have modified the amounts suitable to serve 4-5 people. Most of the ingredients should be available in your local grocery store. Some items can be found at specialty Asian grocers. Fortunately, most ingredients can be substituted if necessary.
Traditional Shan State Noodles
Ingredients
3/4 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 tablespoons minced garlic
8 medium sized tomatoes (quartered)
1 cup finely chopped onion (any kind)
2 star anise
300 g of pork or chicken (chopped into centimetre cubes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (divided)
salt (to taste)
4-5 cups of rice noodles (any size)
1 teaspoon sugar (white or brown)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Fresh green onion and coriander for garnish
Method
I am quickly learning that mise en place is important in Asian cooking. The food often cooks so quickly that the next step in the cooking process is ready before you are. I recommend having all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go along with your pots, pans, spoons etc. before you start cooking.
Heat the cooking oil in wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and let sizzle until garlic slightly browns. Remove from heat, strain oil from garlic back into the frying pan. Removing the garlic from the hot oil keeps it from cooking further.
Kitchen tip: Fry up extra garlic, remove from oil and once oiled as cooled, put the garlic back in the oil. When kept in a sealed container the garlic can be used as needed for weeks to come.
Fill your blender half full with the tomatoes. Then add enough water to reach just below the one-quarter mark on your blender. Blend, adding the rest of the tomatoes (if necessary) until almost smooth. A few tomato chunks are okay.
Chef Note: A can of chopped tomatoes can be substituted for fresh tomatoes.
Over medium heat, fry onions in leftover garlic oil (use more oil if necessary). Add star anise. When onions are soft and fragrant add tomatoes and turn heat on low.
If cooking with pork – add pork to frying pan and stir. Cover until mixture begins to bubble. Remove cover and let simmer until most of the water evaporates.
If cooking with chicken – add chicken when water has nearly all evaporated. Add more water if necessary so that the mixture does not dry out and meat has cooked properly.
Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and salt to taste.
Cook rice noodles according to package instructions or if pre-softened heat briefly in boiling water. (Careful not to over cook – soggy rice noodles are no fun!)
Toss rice noodles with remaining soy, sugar, fried garlic, sesame oil and salt and pepper (to taste).
Plate noodles first. Top with tomato mixture. Garnish with chopped green onion and coriander leaves. Enjoy!
Chef Notes
The recipe was taught to me using a dark soy sauce, but regular soy can also be used.
This recipe is for the “dry” version of Shan State Noodles. For the soup version, cook tomato mixture and noodles the same. Serve noodles in a broth (any kind). Allow noodles to sit in the bowl above the broth line so the tomato topping sits atop the noodles and is not submerged by broth. The soup version is often served with additional vegetables in the broth such as bok choy or Chinese cabbage. The people of Shan State often use Chai Youn Leaf, which is a plant common in the area. But, you may have trouble finding that at your local grocery store!
I hope you enjoy this meal as much as we have! Let me know if you give the Shan State Noodle dish a try for yourself!
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