Queezle_Sister's Reviews
5 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 5Sort by: Title 
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Burma: Rivers of Flavor
By Naomi Duguid
Artisan - 2012
Chickpea Soup with Lemongrass and Ginger : page 97
A very satisfying and simple soup!
I used black chickpeas freshly cooked in my pressure cooker. I under-cooked the chickpeas a bit, and then simmered them with the bruised lemongrass and ginger as instructed. This was my first time using lemongrass and I was elated at the wonderful aroma and flavor it gave us. Toward the end of cooking you add some minced shallots , shallot oil, and turmeric. A squeeze of lime and sprinkle of cilantro finished it off.
Everyone enjoyed this. It was a light soup, vegan, and the very simple broth had a delicate and enjoyable flavor. I would have been quite satisfied if I were served this soup in a restaurant.
If you started with canned chickpeas this recipe could come together quickly - maybe 30 minutes?
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Dried Shrimp Powder : page 30
This recipe allows you to prepare an ingredient that is called for in many of the recipes in this book. You start with dried shrimp - and indeed there was quite an assortment in my Asian market. You soak the dried up guys for about 10 minutes in water (mine started pliable, so this soaking step seemed unnecessary), dry them off, then grind them up in a food processor. I used the small chopper attachment for my immersion blender, and ground them up in 2 batches. As described, the result was a fluffy powder.
I only gave this a "3" because I'm thinking I might not enjoy this ingredient. If I change my mind, I'll come back and update my review and rating.
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Fried Shallots and Shallot Oil : page 24
Preparing these fried shallots and shallot oil is a necessary step for preparing most of the recipes in this book. A mountain of thinly sliced shallots are prepared, and they are fried in peanut oil. The instructions tell you what to expect - and my experience was very close to that described. At first there is an impossibly large pile of shallots, but as they give up their water they fit down into the oil. And then they slowly turn a golden brown. Mine took about 15 minutes longer than the recipe suggested (about 30 minutes) and they didn't get particularly crispy after removing them. But oh the fragrence!
I purchased asian shallots as I was in my asian market, but when I repeat this I will use european shallots. The asian shallots are small, and I spent a lot of time pulling off the skins, etc. With the large european shallots, I think the slicing would go much faster.
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Succulent Grapefruit (or Pomelo) Salad : page 45
Beautiful supremed grapefruit, with shallots (fresh), and dressed with dried shrimp powder, toasted chickpea flour, fish sauce, and shallot oil.
My first bite was an explosion of flavor. The bright flavor of grapefruit with the savory flavors from the shrimp and fish sauce were very strange. About half the bites I loved and half I thought were really weird.
I wish I had saved the leftovers - perhaps they would improve with a bit of sitting.
The teenagers couldn't eat this, my husband found it fascinating, and like I said, I was on the fence. But I have to admit it was a really new flavor combination, and I would consider trying to prepare this again in the future.
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Toasted Chickpea Flour : page 32
Another ingredient for food preparation. This was simple - throw some chickpea flour into a dry frying pan, and don't forget to stir!
It takes about 10 - 15 minutes, and again was surprisingly fragrant.
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