From Burma, with love

I haven't written in a while, but it isn't for a lack of wanting, or a lack of will. Rather, it's for an excess of Wallander.

Wally is the Portuguese Water Dog puppy that recently became part of our household. He is a lot of things: fluffy, loving, soft, energetic, stubborn, gentle, smart, wily. He is the sweetest thing, and despite the incredible amount of attention he requires, he is the light of our lives.

Dog ownership caused us to put experimenting with food on the back burner (...) but now that he has settled into a routine (and is calming down a bit), we've started to put more time into our neglected hobbies.

Looking for a new recipe to try one night, I came across a beautiful cookbook by Naomi Duguid entitled Burma: Rivers of Flavor. My mother gave it to me a couple of years ago but for some reason I had never taken a stab at any of the recipes. As a book, Burma impossibly lush, full of photographs and descriptions of the intriguing country, of intimate stories from the author's travels, and of recipes that make the reader's mouth water. This particular recipe, from the Mandalay region of Burma, is for a noodle dish that is at once savory and fresh, hot and mild, soft and crunchy. Just a couple of spoonfuls of the rich and flavorful curry are all you need to dazzle the humble rice noodles; the fresh cilantro, peanuts, and lime give a welcome injection of crisp tartness; and the smooth hard-boiled eggs are a surprisingly perfect garnish to an exceptional 1-dish meal.

The result had us raving for days. Not bad for a couple of out-of-practice cooks.

Mandalay noodles with chicken curry

Adapted lightly from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Serves 6

Ingredients

Chicken curry and noodles

-  1 3-4 lb chicken or 1 1/2 lbs boneless legs and breasts, rinsed

- 1/3 cup canola oil

- 1/4 tsp turmeric

- 1/2 cup minced shallots

- 2 tbsp minced garlic

- 1 cup water

- 1 tbsp fish sauce

- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

- 4 cups chicken broth

- 1 lb dried rice noodles

Garnishes

- 2 tbsp sesame oil

- 1/2 cup toasted chickpea flour (not required, but adds a nice nuttiness to the noodles)

- dash of red chilli powder

- 3-4 tbsp roasted chopped peanuts

- 3 hard-boiled eggs

- 2 limes, cut into wedges

- 1/2 cup chopped coriander

Other garnishes:

- 1 cup fried noodles

- 3-4 tbsp fried shallots

- 12 fish balls

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time: 40 min

Total time: 1 hour 10 min

1.  Cut the chicken into approximately 1-inch pieces, pat dry, and set aside.

2. Heat canola oil in a large wok on high heat and stir in the turmeric. Lower the heat to medium-high and toss in the minced shallots; cook for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.

3. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until it has all changed color, about 7 minutes.

4. Add the water, fish sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.

5. As the chicken is cooking, bring the broth to a boil and then keep warm. In a separate pot, boil the eggs, cool, and slice into quarters

6. Boil the rice noodles as indicated, drain, and transfer it to a large bowl. Sprinkle in the toasted chickpea flour, if using, and toss the noodles to coat them evenly.

7. Set out 6 large bowls and distribute the noodles among then. Spoon some chicken curry into each bowl, then add the peanuts and fried shallots (if using). Add a lime wedge, a pinch of chilli powder, and coriander, and top with 2 slices of egg. Top with fried noodles, if using.

8. Immediately before serving, carefully pour the broth into the noodle bowls and add fish balls, if using. Mix the ingredients together and enjoy!

Note: this recipe keeps exceptionally well for up to 2 days. As with all noodles, if storing the boiled rice noodles, toss in a bit of canola oil so that they do not stick together in the fridge.