meemalee

On the road back from Pindaya in 1989. Shortly afterwards, we overturned the car trying to avoid a bullock. As Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have discovered in the Top Gear Burma Christmas (?) special which has just been shown on BBC2, transport in Burma (also known as Myanmar) is interesting .  For instance, as a result of British colonial rule, we used to drive on the left-hand side and so all the cars are left-hand drive, but in 1970, Ne Win , the military ruler who was in charge of Burma for decades, decided out of superstition that he would make everyone switch to driving on the right as apparently we were sliding to the left politically (he also once shot at his own reflection in a mirror because he believed that would make him safe from assassination). This change made, and makes, driving in Burma slightly terrifying, as the driver can't really see the road properly.  And until recently, only military and government officials were allowed to ...

Mogok Pork Curry (photo by Luiz Hara ) My mother is from Mogok, a chilly gem-mining town in the hilly north of Burma, where everyone adores pork ( I mentioned before that they refer to wages as "pork funds").  This classic Mogok curry is more or less used to wean Burmese children - my nephews and nieces can eat bowls and bowls of the stuff, as it's sweet and mild, yet addictive.  Before my youngest nephew could talk properly, whenever he visited his grandparents, he'd ask for " pork and yice " (pork and rice), and I'm pleased to say that my one year old daughter is now an equally big fan. BURMESE PORK CURRY, MOGOK-STYLE ( Wet-thar Hnut ) Serves 4 to 6, freezes well 1 kg pork leg or shoulder, with some fat, diced into 2.5cm cubes 100ml malt vinegar 4 medium white onions, peeled 4 cloves of garlic, peeled 2cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled 4 tbsp groundnut oil 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp dark so...

Spicy Shan Cauliflower and Carrot Pickle Pickling is in my blood. As you know, I'm Burmese, but Burma aka Myanmar is made up of over 100 ethnic groups. A large part of me is Shan , one of the more prominent of these ethnic groups, who primarily live in a rural, hilly region in Burma known as the Shan State . Traditionally tall and fair, and cousins to the Dai people in Thailand, the Shan are rather fond of pickles (and noodles, and pork - often the three in combination). All manner of Shan pickles for sale in Mandalay The classic Shan pickle is mohnyin-tjin , but as wonderful as this is, it takes a little effort and patience to make (by patience, I mean at least a week, kimchi -style).  This recipe is for one of my favourite overnight pickles, using cauliflower and carrot, both of which are hard to come by in lower Burma, but plentiful in the Shan State. Though of course carrots and cauliflowers aren't rare in the UK, you may not find the pickli...