26. Burmese Mohinga

Name: 26. Burmese Mohinga
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp gram flour; 2 tbsp rice flour; 2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and finely chopped; 1 knob ginger, grated or finely chopped; 2 dried chillies, deseeded and chopped; 4 garlic cloves; 1/2 red onion, diced; 4 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp white miso; 5 tbsp vegan fish sauce; 8 small shallots, peeled but kept whole; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 sweet potato, cut into 1cm slices; 250g rice stick noodles (similar to what you might use for pho or pad thai); 300g green beans, topped and tailed and finely chopped or shredded; 2 limes, cut into wedges; 1/2 red onion, very finely sliced; Bunch of coriander, finely chopped; Fried shallots to serve; Chilli flakes, to serve

9 steps

Prep:40minCook:45min

Traditionally served with fish, this vegan version uses miso and vegan fish sauce to achieve a similar flavour.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:19:18 GMT

Ingredients

4 servings

Instructions

Step 1

Dry toast the gram flour in a frying pan over low heat until golden, stirring constantly, then set aside. Do the same for the rice flour.

Step 2

In a large pestle and mortar, or food processor, pound the lemongrass, ginger, chilli, garlic and onion to create a fine paste.

Step 3

Fry the turmeric, paprika and paste in the oil until the onion caramelises nicely, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the pot and burn.

Step 4

Add the gram and rice flours, constantly stirring so it thickens into an almost elastic, play dough like paste. Ensure this cooks for a few minutes to cook off the flour.

Step 5

Then add 1 litre of water, the miso, fish sauce, brown sugar and shallots, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Step 6

While soup is cooking, soak the rice noodles in hot water. Drain and rinse under cold water when cooked.

Step 7

While all of that is happening, bake the slices of sweet potato in the oven at 220 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potato is cooked but not soft (so it doesn’t fall apart in the soup). If they’re ready before you’re ready to assemble the dish, just leave them in the oven and turn the heat off.

Step 8

Prepare the green beans, then blanch them in hot boiled water for 30 seconds, then drain immediately.

Step 9

Build up the dish by placing cooked noodles in the bowl first, topped with some sweet potato and green beans. Ladle over the soup, and garnish with the raw red onion slices, coriander, fried shallots, lime wedges, and chilli flakes.