I toasted nuts and spices.
I minced, chopped and pulverized herbs.
I fried a pile of shallots and then made shallot oil.
I fried thin slices of garlic until they were potato-chip crisp and then made garlic oil.
I boiled meat chunks in water, then browned them, then pounded the chunks to a pulp.
I softened teeny tiny dried shrimp in bowls of water, then ground them until light and fluffy.
I shredded vegetables, squeezed the life out of limes, roasted and peeled eggplants and tended to multiple pots and pans all sizzling and simmering simultaneously.
Five and a half hours later, my husband and I sat down to a “simple,” 3-dish Burmese meal.
What it worth it? That gets a big fat no.
The dishes were perfectly fine, but nothing that wowed or made my taste buds zing. If I had ordered these dishes at a restaurant I wouldn’t send them back, but I certainly wouldn’t order them again, either. I have spent five-plus hours in the kitchen on Thai, Vietnamese or Indian menus that blew my mind, but this Burmese meal didn’t even come close. I am not giving up on the cookbook, however, as I know delicious dishes are lurking in the pages, I just have to suss them out. On the bright side, after all of that work, I do now have several of the oils and pastes and ground spices ready to go for my next Burmese experiment. I am determined as I so want to love this food. The country is bordered by India, China and Thailand — how can the cuisine be anything but lively and supremely flavorful?

Kachin-Pounded Beef

Ground Shrimp

Crunchy Burmese Salad

Yes! I nailed my poached eggs! And then I immediately whipped out what I now call my successful poached egg boogie. I am doing it now. Check out this beauty below (the egg, not my dance):

Perfectly Poached

There is nothing quite like a perfectly poached egg (NOT the kind that you dump into an egg poacher. That is a STEAMED egg, not a poached egg). A true poached egg is the kind that takes some practice, but is well worth it in the end. My eggs last night turned out beautifully, with perfectly cooked whites and a creamy, oozy center. Add a touch of Maldon sea-salt for crunch and a drizzle of good quality olive oil and you have yourself a perfect edible package. This kind of egg can top off all sorts of dishes — a bowl of pasta, vegetables and fried rice, roasted root vegetables and wilted spinach — just about everything is better with an egg on top.

Tunisian Poached Eggs with Red Pepper Sauce

The rest of the dish was good too and I plan to put the meal into my vegetarian recipe rotation. A simple Greek vegetable salad with cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, feta and fresh oregano rounded out the meal. Dress it simply with lemon juice, olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar and be prepared to feast.

Greek Salad

This tenderloin recipe looks deceptively dull, but truly packs quite a bit of flavor. It’s best on the grill but was also delicious in the oven last night.  It did seem on the salty side, however, so I recommend a light hand with the shaker. The recipe as is allows for plenty of leftovers, which can easily be re-purposed into spectacular lunches. I foresee thinly sliced pork sandwiches and cubed pork to top off a feta and beet-green salad with a citrus vinaigrette.

Roast Pork with Allspice Rub

I wouldn’t waste my time again with the charred lemon-shallot chutney. It wasn’t bad, just not worth the effort and the pork can definitely stand alone. Plus, the chutney looks like pond scum.  See for yourself below.

Chutney