# Delicious Burmese/Indian Recipe



## Yakuta (Oct 9, 2006)

I made this dish last Friday and it came out so good that I had to share.  I have some members of my family who lived in Rangoon, Burma for a few years (including my father) and this is very popular recipe that they savor.  It's pronounced  " Khausa"

Ingredients:

Lean Beef approx 1.5 pounds (cut into small 1/4 inch cubes) - You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken, lamb or pork to suit your taste buds.  
1 large onion finely diced
1 large tomato finely diced
freshly minced ginger and garlic
freshly roasted and powdered cumin, corrainder and 1 stick of cinnamon along with a few pepper kernels
salt to taste
paprika about 1 tsp
chili powder about 1 tsp 
Oil a few tbsp

Cook the beef curry by sauting the onions in oil until translucent.  Next add the ginger, garlic and ground spices and roast them.  Add the tomatoes and a glass of water.  Add the beef, salt and cook it until the meat is tender.  It takes hardly any time if you have a pressure cooker. 

The gravy should be thick not watery.  

Next make a coconut curry - This is not totally authentic since I modified it for my taste but it tasted awfully good so I am sharing it. 

1/2 cup of besan (chick pea flour - this is definitely what the Burmeses use)
1 can of coconut milk
1 green chili finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
(The chili and garlic is not authentic but I love it so I added it)
3 tsps of oil
3 cups of water
salt to taste
Freshly chopped corrainder

In a saucepan add the oil.  Once it's hot add the chili and garlic and reduce the heat.  Saute it for a few seconds.  Next add the besan and roast it on low heat for 15 minutes.  Now add the 3 cups of water and let it all cook until it's nice and thick.  Next add the coconut milk and a little bit more water if it's too thick (the texture should resemble a corn soup).  Cover and cook for 15 minutes or so.  Stir in some freshly chopped corrainder and reserve

Boil some spaghetti (I like to break each spaghetti strand into 3 for ease of eating in this dish).  Drain and here is how you assemble the dish. 

Add some freshly cooked spaghetti to a bowl, Next add a nice dollop of the meat curry.  Pour the coconut curry over it.  Garnish with some fresh corrainder, thinly julianned ginger, crispy fried onions (available in Indian stores) and a wedge of lime. 

It seems like a lot of work but it's not.  I made this entire meal from start to finish in less than an hour.


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## urmaniac13 (Oct 9, 2006)

Another smash hit from Yakuta, yey!! 
We just bought a whole bunch of coconut milk as we found them on sale, also some extra chick pea flour (I bought it thinking I could make some falafels with them, however they didn't turn out so well just with the flour...  so I was looking for some other usage!!), I will give it a go very soon!!

Thanks for sharing Yakuta, I always love your recipes and ideas!!


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## Yakuta (Oct 9, 2006)

Hey urmaniac, you are welcome.  You can't find uses for chickpea flour then you have to send it to me  .  Actually it's a staple in my house. 

Try making pakoras with it and you will always have some in your pantry

3 cups of chickpea flour
1 cup of water
Make a thick batter (not soupy but slightly thicker than a pancake batter)

Add the following to the batter
1/4 bunch of chopped cilantro
1 green chili finely chopped
1/2 regular or spring onion chopped
1 potato super finely diced (I slice mine thinly and cut it into long strands about the size of a small pin prior to adding them so they cook)
salt to taste
pinch of tumeric (optional)

Place plenty of oil in a frying pan and then drop these by the spoonfuls and fry them on medium low until crisp.  

You can add other veggies to it as well.  In India we coat Eggplant slices (thin) in this batter and fry it up.  You can also use this batter to coat potato slices alone and fry them up but the pakoras to me are the best. 

You can serve it with the cilantro mint chutney and a sweet tamarind chutney.  

I tend not to make them often because it's fried but once in a while it's great.  It is a monsoon delicacy and a treat that people eat sometimes with afternoon tea in India.


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## Seven S (Oct 9, 2006)

i love pakoras - thanks!!  any and all indian/burmese recipes here are very welcome!!!


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## Snoop Puss (Oct 9, 2006)

Oh Yakuta. These recipes I just have to try. Do you have a good recipe for onion bhajis? I just love spicy food but it's nigh on impossible to find here in Spain. And I have to admit that I'm a bit too lazy to spend hours in the kitchen drumming up a curry that people are going to eat in ten minutes flat!

Thanks for the inspiration.


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## urmaniac13 (Oct 9, 2006)

Thanks Yakuta for another great idea!!  Coating eggplants with it and frying sounds so divine!!  The only problem is that, it seems that I am collecting too many recipes for "just for once in a while" special treats all of which I need to try...


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## Yakuta (Oct 9, 2006)

Onion Bhaji's mmmm good.  To tell you the truth the onion bhaji's I make at home never come out like the ones the vendors used to make in India.  There are some recipes that you just can't duplicate in a home kitchen.  

Here is a recipe that I use to make it but it would not pass the Indian street vendor test  

1 large onion thinly sliced
1 cup of chick pea flour (besan), Keep 1 cup on the side as stand-by
2 tsp of freshly roasted and powdered cumin
2 tsp of freshly roasted and powdered corrainder
1 tsp of turmeric powder
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lime

In a bowl, add the sliced onions (seperate them with your hands), squeeze the lime juice and the spices.  Add about a cup of chick pea flour and slightly stir to fluff it all up.  If it's too dry sprinkle a little water (not pour just a tiny bit sprinkle to bind it together) into a lump.  You can add more chickpea flour if you like denser bhajis or less if you like it lighter and crispier. 

Place oil in a pan.  Once it's medium hot, drop the mixture by large spoonfuls.  I like to use two spoons together to hold it before carefully placing it in oil.  Fry until golden brown. 

It will be crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.  It goes well with any dipping sauce of your choice.


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