Talk about Burmese food and most of us
think about the ubiquitous ‘Khao Suey’. I have often wondered about the
authenticity of this dish since recipes in different restaurants and homes vary
from Thai-style to using core ingredients such as poppy seeds or gram flour. My
meal at Burma Burma offers a delectable insight into the fascinating cuisine of
Myanmar.
“Burmese cuisine offers a mix of flavours
from Thailand, China, Bengal, North Eastern states of India and Sri Lanka,”
shares Ankit Gupta, owner-partner, Burma
Burma. Having worked with the Taj Mahal Hotel Mumbai, he comes with a
background in hospitality. Ankit’s mother (Urmila Gupta) lived in Myanmar for almost 25 years,
and his aunt (Sumitra Modi) is a renowned caterer in Mumbai, specialising in Burmese
cuisine. Their recipes formed a reliable base for Ankit and Chirag Chhajer to open Burma Burma in
Mumbai in 2014, that garnered rave reviews and a regular clientele of expats, locals and tourists alike. But prior to that they made countless trips to Myanmar to research
further and even pick up artefacts to do up the restaurant. It is thus a
pleasure talking to Ankit and hearing him rattle off not only the local names
of dishes and ingredients, but also the techniques used in cooking, street food
specialties and the time of day when some dishes are relished more than others,
almost giving a verbal peek into the native lifestyle of the people of Myanmar.
However, the one point on which these young entrepreneurs stopped
short was incorporating meats into their food. Ankit hailing from a Marwari
background, and Chirag from a Jain family, both wanted to stick to
vegetarian fare. So not only are the meats missing, but so are ingredients like
fish sauce and shrimp paste. This made their research into authentic recipes
all the more important, to filter out and use only the ones that didn’t require
the said ingredients. And what they discovered was a huge array of vegetarian
dishes ranging from salads and soups to khow suey and rice dishes. The menu at
Burma Burma will leave you spoilt for choice and one meal here is certainly not
enough to sample the wonderful dishes offering complex flavours and textures
that’ll leave you asking for more.
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Beverages Spiced Ginger (L); Oh No Tamarind (R) |
We start with a couple of mocktails, Spiced Ginger and Oh No Tamarind. That’s the other thing, Burma Burma does not serve any alcohol. They instead offer a range of non-alcoholic beverages served by the glass as well as pitchers, and an extensive choice of teas. You will find teas from all over the world, served in appropriate ‘apparatus’. “We take our teas seriously,” shares Ankit adding that the right way of serving them is as important as brewing them perfectly. And if you happen to take fancy to any particular type, you can even buy the serving ware at this restaurant and teahouse. While Spiced Ginger is served in a salt-rimmed glass and is a concoction of ginger, green chillies, lime, mint and fizz, Oh No Tamarind offers an unusual mix of tamarind pulp and Burmese jaggery and garnished with coconut shavings. These are accompanied with sunflower seeds, the Myanmar snack that is popular with everybody on the street as well as in fancy restaurants.
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Soup and Salads Top: Salad Sampler Bottom L-R: Samosa Soup; Bean Curd Soup |
Then come the ‘hincho’ or the soups. Samuza Hincho (Rs 220) has a
samosa dunked in tangy soup with cabbage, carrot and capsicum. Offering a
multitude of flavours, the samosa is quite the highlight of this soup. Tohu Hincho (Rs 220) is the Burmese
beancurd soup. It is nutritious and offers a liberal helping of bite sized
homemade tofu, garnished with black sesame and coriander. This one lacks the
zest of the former, but I quite like the tofu.
From samosa to raw mango and pickled ginger to potato salad the choice of salads is impressive. We go for the Thoke Sampler (Rs 480) offering three thoke or salads. Mandalay Laphet is the famous tea leaf salad, Naykar Gyun Akyaw features sunflower leaves and crispy wheat flakes, and the no fuss Tayat ti Thoke or the raw mango salad with roasted red chilly, crushed peanuts and brown onion. I have to say that all the salads are fantastic, each with many components, and offer completely different flavours. I do recommend you to try the sampler to enjoy the salads. My favourite is the sunflower leaves and wheat flakes for the varying textures that it has. And while I look for tea leaves amidst the other greens in Mandalay Laphet I am informed that fermented tea leaves are used in the dressing.
From samosa to raw mango and pickled ginger to potato salad the choice of salads is impressive. We go for the Thoke Sampler (Rs 480) offering three thoke or salads. Mandalay Laphet is the famous tea leaf salad, Naykar Gyun Akyaw features sunflower leaves and crispy wheat flakes, and the no fuss Tayat ti Thoke or the raw mango salad with roasted red chilly, crushed peanuts and brown onion. I have to say that all the salads are fantastic, each with many components, and offer completely different flavours. I do recommend you to try the sampler to enjoy the salads. My favourite is the sunflower leaves and wheat flakes for the varying textures that it has. And while I look for tea leaves amidst the other greens in Mandalay Laphet I am informed that fermented tea leaves are used in the dressing.
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Food Top: Brown Onion and Roasted Chilly Steamed Buns Middle: Coconut Rice with Peanut Chutney Bottom L-R: Stuffed Potato; Mohingar KhowSuey |
From the starters we are served Alhoor Kyaw (Rs 340) which is scooped
potato filled with crushed brown onion, peanuts and roasted chilly topped with
sour coconut cream. This dish is rather underwhelming, and doesn’t do justice
to its price as well so if you like you could opt for chilly tangy chickpea
tohu, barbecue vegetables or Burmese falafel from the extensive choice of
starters. Paukse is a popular streetfood in Myanmar. It is a steamed bun that
is stuffed with a variety of fillings. We try the Brown Onion and Roasted Chilly Paukse (Rs 300) and love it. The
masala complements that sweet bao-type bun beautifully. This is real comfort
food, and the other fillings sound equally appetising – mushrooms; spring onion
and garlic; tofu and spinach; and Burmese salsa.
“Khow suey means noodles and is essentially a
community dish that is typically had for breakfast,” says Ankit. Since the
recipe changes from community to community, here you will find six types of
Khow Suey on offer. We try the Mohingar
(Rs 330) that is the national dish of Burma. It has thin rice noodles dipped in
soup made from banana stem, ginger and lemongrass, and is served with condiments
including onion crisps, fried garlic, spring onions, peanuts and lemon juice. I
won’t say that this is the best khowsuey I’ve had, owing to the unaccustomed
flavours of the broth, but it is worth tasting. Next time I would stick to
their signature Oh No Khow Suey or try the Dry Khow Suey and even China Town
Noodles. Apart from this there is a range of rice dishes, curries and
stirfries. Portions are well priced so you would do well to go with a bunch of
people to try as many different dishes as you can. Ohn Thamin (Rs 340) is rice cooked in coconut milk and topped with
peanut and tomato chutney. Again, a delicious comforting dish.
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Tea and Desserts Top: South American Tea Bottom L-R: Tagu Pyian; Durian Icecream |
Although the desserts have a selection of
international favourites including cheesecake, chocolate caramel dome as well
as chocolate mousse, we have the Burmese specialty – Tagu Pyian (Rs 240) that is sago cooked with Burmese palm jaggery,
served with coconut custard. This beautifully plated sweet is an acquired taste
for sure, but if you have a slightly adventurous palate do give it a try. The
sago is cooked in jaggery till it becomes dark brown, lending it a wonderful caramelised flavour. I am also happy to find Durian Icecream (Rs 270), the famous
fruit that ‘tastes like heaven but smells like hell’. Here it is served over
wafts of lemongrass fumes that take care of the smell, leaving you with a
heavenly icecream.
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The decor features an interesting collection of Burmese artefacts. |
We round up our meal with some South
American tea with a hint of sweet mango, served beautifully, along with some
more sunflower seeds. The décor, that has mainly been done in-house, features
Burmese artefacts like tattoo needles, little Buddha statues, wickerware and
papier mache. Large colorful bells form the centrepiece on the ceiling, and
most of the upholstery is made using Burmese handwoven sheets. Step into Burma Burma to get a sensory
experience of Myanmar. Come with an open mind to experiment with some
unfamiliar flavours and some familiar ones presented with refreshingly new twists.
Details:
Burma
Burma, Building 8, Tower C, DLF CyberHub Gurgaon.
Ph: 91-124 4372999.
Timings: Lunch 1pm; Dinner
(two time slots) 8pm; 9-45pm.
Thanks for post:
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