One weekend morning, my son asked: " Mom, when can I eat Mont Hin Ngar ?? ".
I was really pleased to hear that my son who was born in Singapore and grew up in America asking seriously about the food that we always eat as breakfast in Burma ( Myanmar).
"Mont Hin Ngar" is the most popular dish that has its identity as Myanmar's traditional food in this planet. Oh! I might use a really big word but that food is really big deal for most of Myanmar to die for. Everybody from Myanmar who stay in the foreign country will always appreciate having this special dish.
In Burma (Myanmar), that special breakfast is always available everywhere such as big name tea shop, street corner shops, markets and gourmet Mont Hin Ngar shops with their own famous identity with different creativity.
You must be so curious what is so special about this food!
"Mont Hin Ngar" is the rice noodle soup dish with very flavorful ingredients and herbs that blend together cooking with fish fillet. The typical soup or gravy should be simmered for hours to get the good quality soup. The result always shows depending on how you cook, the way you cook, and your patience is also very important.
Let's talk about recipes to cook this dish. You may add two or three times for those ingredients if you want to serve more than two people.
Mont Hin Ngar ( Thin Rice Noodle with Fish Gravy Soup)
( Serve two )
1 lb. Fish fillet (boneless) ( Good with either Catfish or Tilapia fillet )
2 stalks Lemongrass
1 tbsp. Fine Chopped Ginger
2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
3 tbsp Fine Chopped Garlic
2 tsp Chili powder
1/2 cup Roasted Rice Powder ( available in Asian Grocery Store)
1/4 cup Roasted Chick Pea flour ( Raw chickpea flour from Indian Grocery Store)
5 tbsp Fish Sauce
2 count Hard Boiled Egg
2 tbsp Fine Chopped Peanut ( Optional)
1 cup 1/2 inch square cut onion
1 tsp brown sugar or palm sugar
3 tbsp Oil ( canola, vegetable or peanut oil)
Instructions
1. Poach the fish fillet with fish sauce, salt, 1 tsp. pepper, turmeric powder and lemongrass ( pounded raw part) for 30 minutes in a cup of water with medium heat.
Lemongrass: Cut about two inches in the root part, finely chop and set aside
Pound the top part for the poached fish.
2. In the 4 Qt pan, add the oil and let it warm with medium heat on the stove top.
3. Add chopped (ginger, lemongrass, garlic) and Chili powder with a pinch of turmeric powder
stir-fry for 3 minute (or) fragrant. (Note: time may vary because of heat and thickness of the pan)
4. Add the poached fish (should be drained from the liquid) and stir fry with medium-low heat. Add pepper and garlic powder if it is available. ( optional to kill the fishy smell)
5. You need to work with patience for stir frying that fish till all moisture from the fish is gone.
6. Mix roasted rice powder and roasted bean powder together with 3 cups of water in the bowl, set aside.
7. When the fish mixture is fragrant (don't use high heat), Pour all the mixture of No. 6 (Mixture of powders) and stir well to mix everything blend in together in the pan.
Cover the pot with lid and let it simmer with medium-high heat.
8. When the soup starts boiling, stir with the wooden spatula to the bottom of the pot not to get burnt flavor. (rice powder and bean powder could be stick to the bottom of the pot) You may need to stir frequently to get a nice result.
9. Add chopped onion, drained liquid from the poached fish, (sliced hard boiled egg)
10. Add the ground peanut and brown sugar.
11. Season with salt and add the fish bouillon (flavor enhancer) for taste.
12. Let the pot simmer for another hour to make sure all the onions have softened and soup is blending in with all flavors.
13. Boil the rice stick by following the direction from the packet. make sure soften to eat and drain. Rinse the drained noodle with cold water to get the perfect noodles.
14. In the bowl, add one hand full of noodle and pour the soup on top of the noodle.
15. Topping: sliced hard boiled egg, chopped cilantro, lime juice (optional for sour taste),
16. Fried fish cake, fried Asian donut (Yau Char Kwai) and crispy chickpea fritters are a nice optional accompaniment or better delicacy.
(Note: You may add more water two to three cups if the soup thickens as evaporated by boiling for long hours.)
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