Myanmar News Articles: HERITAGE: Facets of Myanmar

What is so fascinating about Myanmar? What is the food like? With the help of Mohana Gill, Samantha Joseph finds some answers

WALKING up the wide driveway of a neat bungalow, I am greeted by Mohana Gill, author of Myanmar: Cuisine, Culture Customs. At least I assume it is Mohana Gill in the pale jade salwaar kameez — slender, with nearly blemish-free skin.

She looks a little young to have lived and taught in Myanmar before its closed-door policy kicked in. But she introduces herself and leads the way into her house.

SITTING TOUR OF MYANMAR

Seated elegantly in her living room, where a large painting of intertwined Burmese dancers adorns the wall, she divulges the secret to her lovely skin: Thanakha.

Peppered throughout the images of everyday life that dominate her book, there are women and children bearing smears of white powder across their cheeks and foreheads while they carry fruit, eat noodles or hawk their wares. The white powder is thanakha, a paste made from grinding the bark of a tree with a little water which you then smear on your face and arms.

"Everyone wears it — women, children and sometimes even men. It is said to protect one against the sun and give you smooth skin," says 70-something Mohana with the cool confidence of someone who has discovered the secret of eternal youth. "Of course nowadays it's more common in the rural areas but they've actually commercialised it now."

She holds up a round plastic tub, opening it to reveal a cool brown block of product with a powdery surface and a faint sweetish smell. "Just add water. Interesting isn't it?" she says.

Although we are here to talk about her book, a collection of images, recipes and snippets of life in Myanmar, it is easy to get sidetracked by these little details of life in that country. For so long, Myanmar has closed its doors to the rest of the world that even to its closest neighbours in Southeast Asia, the country and its people are largely a mystery.

Instead of taking a straightforward autobiographical route, Mohana's book focuses on its society and how the people live. Born in Naypyitaw, Mohana is second generation Myanmar who has appointed herself an ambassador of sorts for the culture of her beloved country.

"I want to show to the world the Burma that I know," says Mohana. "I wanted to showcase the cuisine and the people."

Time and again I have heard praises of the Myanmar people being sung, that they are resilient, gentle.

"They are so giving and very respectful of their elders. In this day and age, it's nice to go back and know that people still have time for you," sighs Mohana.

She recounts an occasion when she was staying in a hotel in Moulmein, where the breakfast buffet consisted of Western offerings. She asked one of the hotel staff where she could get local food — mohinga perhaps, or sticky rice? — and lo and behold, they went out and got some for her. And they continued to do so each morning, with an accompanying flower for her hair, for the rest of her stay.

VISITING MYANMAR

"Myanmar has a lot of temples. Some are a few thousand years old," she says when asked about Myanmar's reputed thousand temples. Sadly, not all of them are well maintained. Some are dilapidated because funds are lacking. But, as Mohana notes, there are many other reasons to visit Myanmar, "especially before it becomes a commercialised tourist trap".

Places such as Pyin U Lwin, formerly Maymyo, were used as a summer retreat for the British, resulting in lovely old colonial houses and churches as well as one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world in the shape of National Kandawgyi Gardens.

"I first brought my husband to Myanmar in the 1980s, when the borders were relaxed," says Mohana. "I wanted to show him the place that I grew up in. We went to see the house where I was born and lo and behold, after 70 years, the house is still standing."

With her book, Mohana hopes that more people will be drawn to the Myanmar that she knows: Graceful, resilient and captivating.

EXCITING FOOD

Food in Myanmar is a reflection of its people. Spare, stripped down, yet delicious. It gives a snapshot of flavour. How do I know it's delicious? Because Mohana was kind enough to host a lunch of Myanmar cuisine for me to uncover and digest these culinary gems.

Taking my place at the lace-clothed table, I view the food with a skeptic's eye. It looks very similar to our food, the red hue of the tomato chutney, the fried gourd and the clear soup but the dishes are full of pungent garlic and fresh vegetables.

"Every Burmese meal has some ulam to go with it," she says, pushing forward a plate piled with raw cucumber, tomato and fat cloves of garlic. Years of being indoctrinated into the joys of french fries and highly-seasoned vegetables almost cause me to flinch in the face of this healthy offering. This is followed by a clear soup made from drumstick leaves and onions.

There is hardly an unhealthy option on the table. Even the rich, dangerously red fish curry is without the expected coconut milk. The food has a clean, sharp taste unfamiliar to my palate. Nevertheless, the curry proves to be downright addictive. In spite of waterfalls erupting from my eyes and nose, I couldn't stop downing serving after serving of this mysteriously attractive dish.

When the photographer says how delicious the tomato relish is, I can only nod as I am otherwise occupied with wiping my tears. This ambush on my senses is followed by a guerilla attack in the form of lephet thoke, or pickled tea leaf salad.

Looking innocuous enough in a multi-part container that brings back memories of Hari Raya snacks, the lephet thoke combines pickled tea leaves, garlic, fresh lime, nuts and shredded ginger to deliver a powerful blow to the tastebud.

"When we were studying for exams, we used to eat a lot of this to keep us awake," says Mohana, cementing the position of lephet thoke as a competitor to caffeine (and just as addictive).

Once the ordeal that combines pain (to my weary tongue) and pleasure is over, I ask Mohana how she would describe Myanmarese cuisine.

She says: "It's completely different from Cambodian food. It's a mix of Thai, Indian and Chinese cooking. The flavours are garlicky, crunchy, sweet. Every bite is exciting."

Mopping my nose with any available piece of tissue I can get my hands on, I can only agree.

Kha Yan Chin Thee

Pan Htway Hpaw

(Grilled tomato relish)

A DELIGHTFULLY delicious accompaniment to nearly any meal, this relish utilises the frightfully healthy tomato. Mohana Gill suggests making a vegetarian version by omitting the shrimp powder and fish sauce.

Ingredients:

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

6 ripe tomatoes

4 green chillies

1 tsp dried prawn powder

4 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp fish sauce salt, to taste

Method:

1. Place the onion in a bowl of water and set aside for about 30 minutes. Drain well and squeeze dry, then chop.

2. Grill the tomatoes and green chillies over a charcoal fire or under the grill until the skins are charred.

3. Peel the tomatoes and remove the seeds. Place in a bowl.

4. Peel the chillies and remove the stems and seeds. Mash with the tomatoes. Add the chopped onion, dried prawn powder, coriander leaves and fish sauce. Taste and season with salt if necessary.

5. Serve at room temperature.