[ID: A bowl full of an orange stew with squash and meatballs garnished with mint. Bowls of sliced green onions, cilantro, and lime wedges are in the background. End ID.]
ရွှေဖရုံသီးနှပ် / Shway parondee nhaut (Burmese kabocha stew)
Umami, fermented, and fresh flavors are combined in this sweet-and-savory, thick, hearty stew. This dish is often called "pumpkin curry," but the "pumpkin" is actually kabocha—a sweet winter squash with edible green or orange skin.
This recipe uses fried TVP meatballs in place of the pork belly more commonly combined with kabocha (though pork meatballs are used in Burmese cooking, as in ဝက်သားလုံးဆီပြန်, pork meatball curry). The meat may also be omitted entirely: this curry is frequently vegetarian.
Recipe under the cut!
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Ingredients:
For the spice mixture:
3-4 dried bird's eye chilis, or to taste
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp of prik bon, cayenne pepper, or other ground red chili pepper may be substituted for the chilis. Substitute ground sweet paprika for all or some of the chili if you prefer less spice.
For the meatballs:
1 1/4 cup TVP
1 cup water
1 tsp vegetarian 'beef' broth concentrate or pho seasoning
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp vegetarian fish sauce, or 1 Tbsp liquid from jar of fermented bean curd + 1/2 Tbsp white miso paste (optional)
1/2 tsp spice mixture
1/4 cup chickpea flour (besan), toasted
1 Tbsp tapioca flour
1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
I used toasted besan because it is common in Burmese cuisine and is excellent at holding eggless meatballs together. If you don't have any, you could substitute a baking egg replacer, or equal parts flour and tapioca starch.
Any neutral oil may be substituted for the peanut and sesame oils in the case of allergies.
For the soup:
700g kabocha, halved, seeds removed, and chopped
2 yellow onions, minced
1-inch chunk (10g) ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green chili, sliced
Remaining spice mixture
About 3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste (if you're adding meatballs)
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce + 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetarian fish sauce (if not adding meatballs)
1 1/2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
Chopped cilantro, mint, or green onion, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
Kabocha can be found in the fall at an Asian grocery store, or at a Western grocery store that has a good selection of produce. You can substitute it with pumpkin or butternut squash.
Instructions:
For the spice mixture:
1. Toast chilis in a dry skillet on medium heat for a few minutes, agitating occasionally, until fragrant and a shade darker. Set aside.
2. Remove the skillet from heat and toast ground spices, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Grind chilis with turmeric in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to desired consistency.
For the meatballs:
1. Whisk hot water, broth concentrate, soy and fish sauces, and about 1/2 tsp of the spice mixture together until combined. Add TVP and allow to rest for about 10 minutes, until hydrated.
2. Meanwhile, toast chickpea flour in a dry skillet, agitating every few minutes, until it is golden brown.
3. Add chickpea and tapioca flours to the TVP mixture and stir to combine. The TVP should hold its shape when pressed into a ball—add more besan if necessary. Shape TVP into balls of the desired size and refrigerate.
For the soup:
1. Halve the kabocha squash and scrape out the seeds, then chop each half into 2-inch (5cm) wedges and then cubes. There is no need to peel the squash. If you're having trouble chopping the squash, you can soften it by microwaving it for 30 seconds to a minute.
2. Heat oil on medium in a large pot. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Add garlic, ginger, and chili and cook until no longer raw-smelling.
4. Add spice mixture and allow to fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
5. Add squash and stir to combine. Fry for about 2 minutes more.
6. Add sugar, salt or soy and fish sauces, and water to cover. Cover and simmer until squash has softened, 10-15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and spices.
To assemble:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium. Fry meatballs, occasionally turning over carefully, until browned on all sides. Set aside.
2. Ladle in about 1/2 cup of broth from the soup and cook it down, turning meatballs occasionally, until the broth is thick enough to coat the meatballs.
3. Place meatballs and soup in serving bowls and serve warm with mint, cilantro and/or green onion, and lime. Serve alone or alongside rice.
Notes:
Typically, pork belly is fried in a mixture of minced or pureed onion, garlic, and spices (turmeric and chili powder, to which is sometimes added dried prawn), then water is added and the pork is boiled to produce the soup's broth. The squash is then added and simmered until tender. I have called for the meatballs to be fried separately, since they would fall apart with long simmering.
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random fact:
Yang does the lil hand flaps when there excited or happy
*SKIDDADLES AWAY*
HAHAHA AN EXCUSE TO DO RAMBLE THINGS?
Ones who clap when happy: Eclipse, Sun, sometimes Lune, Jingle J. Jester, Pumpkin, Strudel
Ones who get bouncy (i.e. bouncing on heels, swishing from side to side, just moving a lot): Dawn, Sun, Moon, Pumpkin, Strudel
Ones who express it vocally (making noises: giggling squeaking or what have you): Midnight, Dusk, Sun, Moon, Pumpkin, Strudel
THE LITTLE SMILE. YOU KNOW THE ONE. FROM THE CALM OR GRUMPY CHARACTER. REALLY SLIGHT: Dawn, Kuiper, Kabocha, Lune
Ones who get fidgety: Strudel, Sun, Pumpkin, Lune, Eclipse
Becomes spaghetti: Noon
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Both entries for this round of the Universe Star Pageant on twitter! The theme this time was "morning routine"
For Kabocha, he makes it a point to make breakfast for others, complete with his signature fat pancakes. He used to only make breakfast for his sister, but since she moved out, he now makes them for his Time Patrol teammates.
Maki, on the other hand, is still sort of getting used to her new living situation. While her morning routine is just the essentials, she takes good care of her thick hair. Unfortunately, each day is a roulette of figuring out whether a certain mischievous time bird wants to be helpful or a little asshole.
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