Name: Peas for Many Occasions
Ingredients: peanut oil; coriander; fresh herbs; ginger; fish sauce; water; juice; shallot; dried cowpeas; salt; chickpeas; split peas; black-eyed peas; turmeric

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Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy
Makes About
2 Cups

Appears in

Burma

By Naomi Duguid

Published 2012

Fried Rice with Shallots, made with green peas. It’s accompanied by a jar of Fresh Red Chile Chutney, a small bowl of cooked chickpeas (see Peas for Many Occasions, page 112), and, in front, a bowl of Fried Shallots.

Cooked dried peas (chickpeas, cowpeas, black-eyed peas, and more) are so versatile. They can top fried rice, and in Burma they are often served on nan-piar—wheat flatbreads that are close cousins of South Asian naan (see Tender Flatbreads). They’re also one of the toppings for Street-Side Rice Crepes, Myitkyina Style.

Use whichever legume pleases you. I love having a cache of cooked peas in the freezer. All I need to do is reheat them in a little broth or water and season them, and they are ready to be used as a topping, perhaps with the addition of chopped fresh herbs or a squeeze of lime juice. They can also go into a soup to give it more substance. When using them as a topping, mash them a little to prevent them rolling off the bread or crepe.

1 cup dried cowpeas, black-eyed peas, split peas, or chickpeas, soaked overnight in water to cover
4 cups water or as needed
1 large shallot, coarsely chopped, plus ¼ cup sliced shallot
1 slice ginger, left whole or minced (optional)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons fish sauce, or to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped coriander or other fresh herbs (optional)
Juice of 1 lime (optional)

Method

Drain the peas and place in a medium pot with the water, chopped shallot, and ginger, if using. Bring to a vigorous boil, then cover, lower the heat, and simmer until the peas are tender, 1½ to 2 hours; timing depends on the age of the peas. Add more hot water if it runs low.

About 10 minutes before the peas are done, heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add the turmeric and sliced shallot, and cook until the shallot is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add to the peas and season to taste with the salt and fish sauce. (If freezing for later use, do not season the peas until you reheat them.) If you wish, top with chopped herbs or some lime juice.

Note on Doubling the Recipe: I often make a double quantity, then divide the cooked peas and freeze them in two or three smaller batches. To cook 2 cups peas, use 7 cups water, 2 or 3 chopped shallots, and double the ginger (if using).

“Tribal Woman”

Mya Mya was born over seventy years ago in Myitkyina, of mixed Kachin, Shan, and Bamar parents. She married a Bamar man from Pakkoku and she’s been living in that central Burmese town, ever since, for nearly fifty years. As we walked to the market together, many people greeted her on the street. She nodded back politely, but said to me, “You know, even after all these years, they still call me the tribal woman because my mother was Kachin.”

Mya Mya’s husband died recently; she’s carrying on their small guesthouse business day by day. Her daughter, Ko Ko, and four grandchildren live with her in the old house overlooking the river. Mya Mya has style: she pulls her hair back in a bun and wears soft pinks and mauves that flatter her skin. Her earrings are small Burmese rubies set in gold. She’s beautiful to watch as she goes about her day.

I spent almost all my time in Pakkoku hanging out in Mya Mya’s kitchen. Her daughter-in-law was visiting from Rangoon with her daughter, so there were a lot of people to feed, and lots of hands to do the work too. Everything happened in and around the kitchen, a cluttered high-ceilinged room that opened onto the backyard. The daughter-in-law chopped and cooked in one corner while Ko Ko’s children sat on the floor in front of small mirrors carefully applying thanaka paste before heading to class. I’d chat with Mya Mya while Ko Ko’s oldest daughter agonized over which outfit to wear to a friend’s wedding.

By the time Ko Ko took me to the Bagan-bound boat on her motorcycle a couple of days later, I felt I’d become part of the family. Before leaving I signed their new guestbook and had a look at all the old ones. There were entries from the last thirty years, written by people from Korea, Spain, the USA, and elsewhere, travelers who had found a temporary home and welcome shelter in this small place on the Irrawaddy.

Preparation info

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