There are many versions of this Burmese dish that is, at it’s heart, really quite simple and features an intriguing combo of tomatoes, chicken, aromatics, fish sauce and peanuts. If you like, you could poach a whole chicken in chicken stock, shred the meat and add that to the sauce at the end of cooking to heat through, instead of using thigh fillets. With that option, you then have a delicious chicken stock, which you can serve with the noodle dish to the side. Win win!

 

SERVES 

4 

 

PREPARATION 

35MIN

 

COOKING 

20MIN

 

SKILL LEVEL 

EASY

 

Ingredients 

• 400 gskinless chicken thigh fillets, excess fat trimmed

• 2 ½ tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic, very sliced

• 2.5 cm piece of ginger, cut into fine shreds

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 2 tsp chilli powder

• 2 ½ tbsp fish sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 2 tbsp fermented soy bean sauce (see Note)

• 750 g (about 3 large) tomatoes, trimmed and finely chopped

• 50 g (⅓ cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, crushed

• 1 kg fresh wide rice noodles

• 2 green onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

• Chinese pickled vegetables (see note), fried pork rinds, chilli oil and lemon wedges, to serve

 

Using a large sharp knife, cut the chicken into 5 mm pieces then set aside.

Heat the oil in a large wok over medium-high, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until light golden. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute or until the garlic and ginger have softened slightly. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and cook, stirring, for another minute or until fragrant. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, soy bean paste, tomato and chicken and stir to combine well. Bring the mixture to a simmer then cook for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly.

Meanwhile, place the noodles in a large bowl and pour over enough boiling water to generously cover, using chopsticks to separate the noodles. Stand for 2 minutes then drain well. Divide the noodles among large bowls then spoon sauce over. Scatter over the peanuts and green onion then serve with lemon wedges, pork rinds, chilli oil and vegetable pickles passed separately.

 

Note

• Fermented soy bean sauce is a brownish, thick, lumpy, salty sauce that gives a lovely savoury edge to dishes and is used a lot in Thai, and other South East Asian, cooking. It’s easily found in Asian food stores. Chinese pickled vegetables are also easy to find from Asian food stores - many are quite salty and require a rinse before using.

 

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Tiffany Page.

 

 

Cook's notes

 

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.