Peanut Oil and Sesame Oil

Peanuts, or groundnuts as they are called by most English-speaking Burmese, thrive in hot, dry climates, which makes them an ideal crop in the central area around Mandalay and Bagan. Sesame is the other major oil crop grown in Burma. The oil is pressed out of the seeds, but there’s no roasting involved; it is raw sesame oil, pale yellow, not dark like the roasted sesame oil used as a flavoring in some Japanese and Chinese cooking. Both peanut oil and sesame oil are stable at high temperatures and so are good for frying. In this book I call for peanut oil because it is more widely available but if you prefer, substitute unroasted sesame oil. Store peanut oil and sesame oil in a cool, dark place.