Flavors and Dishes

Cooks all over Burma work with locally grown ingredients and generally prepare dishes from scratch. As a result, flavors are fresh and food is seasonal. The basic pantry includes fried shallots and shallot oil; dried red chiles, both whole and powdered; turmeric; roasted chickpea flour; dried shrimp ground to a coarse powder; and fermented shrimp paste, as well as fish sauce. Most of these keep well, so they can be bought or prepared ahead and stored in the cupboard. Burma Basics sets out the easy fundamentals and techniques of the Burmese kitchen, in order to help you get started.