On a trip to Burma a year ago, my son Rohan and I were blown away by the diversity and depth of Burmese cuisine. We traveled to different regions of Burma, we saw, we smelled, we ate and we took cooking classes. Since then, we have bought books, done research and lots of practicing (thank you all the guinea pigs!) and now we are ready to present a mouth-tingling 9-course Burmese pop up dinner. Space is limited to 8 diners, so sign up soon to reserve your spot.

So, what's Burmese food? If you love Indian and South-East Asian food, you will find Burmese food to be a wonderful mix of those influences. There are curries (semiyan) that are reminiscent of Indian curries, but are entirely Burmese in character, with less spice complexity, but a very satisfying depth produced from SE Asian ingredients like lemongrass, shrimp paste and fish sauce. There are clear soups infused with lemongrass and exotic herbs like shredded lime leaves and hearty noodle soups from the Shan region that are more Thai in character. And then, there are the salads, the most beguiling part of Burmese food. These are "salads", only by virtue of the fact that that is the closest English word one can find to describe them. A Burmese salad (thok) is composed with an array of ingredients with the express purpose of producing a euphoric sensation in your mouth, with an explosion of flavors and textures. Our most memorable food experience in Burma happened in a busy produce market on a street in Mandalay. There, we saw a young woman with a giant basket full of ingredients going from stall to stall, dishing out one salad after another to the produce vendors for their lunch. We flagged her down and feasted on half a dozen different salads that she produced from her basket like a magician. 

The Menu: There is a lot to choose from and we hemmed and hawed for days and finally settled on a Best of Burma menu. Here it is, with a slight caveat that since we will source almost all the produce from the local farmers market, a few things may change:

  • A bubbly drink served with some tasty munchies
  • Broad bean soup with shallots, fresh turmeric root and tender greens
  • Lemongrass-ginger sliders with tamarind-chile sauce
  • Lapet thok, the iconic and unforgettable fermented green tea salad with many, many ingredients
  • Shredded carrot salad with Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), fried shallots and Burmese salad "crunchies"
  • Salad of pomelo and shallots with shallot oil, dried shrimp, toasted chick pea floor and fish sauce
  • Shrimp in a tomato and green chile sauce, served with coconut rice
  • Classic Burmese pork curry with tamarind and lemongrass, served with red rice
  • Burmese Semolina cake with almonds and raisins

Sorry, both April 3 and April 9 dinners are sold out.

Included:

* A welcome bubbly drink

* 9-ish Burmese dishes

* An assortment of Burmese condiments

* Stories (ours and yours) about Burma and elsewhere

* A good time for all

Not Included:

* Wine, Beer. Feel free to bring your own. 

 

 

 

 

 

Where?

1088 SW Westwood Drive

Portland, OR 97239