About this component
The crunchy, savory Burmese relish of dried shrimp fried with masses of garlic, shallot and chile — spooned over rice as a condiment that is a meal's companion in itself.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 1.5 cups (360 ml)
- Prep
- 30 minutes
- Heat
- Medium
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 g) dried shrimp, ground
- 1 cup (150 g) garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (150 g) shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp (12 g) chili flakes
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) oil
- 1 tsp (5 g) shrimp paste (ngapi), optional
- Salt to taste
Method
- Fry the sliced garlic in oil until golden and crisp; remove.
- Fry the shallots until golden; remove.
- Fry the ground dried shrimp gently until fragrant and dry.
- Combine everything with chili flakes and optional ngapi; season.
- Cool completely so it crisps.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- Deeply savory, garlicky and gently hot; cook the shrimp dry for crunch.
- Substitutions
- No true vegetarian substitute; fried garlic and chili approximate the crunch only.
- Storage and food safety
- Cool completely and store airtight, refrigerated, up to 2 weeks. Contains shellfish (dried shrimp/ngapi).
Pairs with in this book
Steamed rice; Burmese rice meals generally.
The Complete Edition
Balachaung (Fried Shrimp & Garlic Relish) sits in the foundations
The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Myanmar chapter it belongs to.
Available from Amazon
- Kindle edition — $9.99 (Kindle Store price) — available now
- Paperback — $49.99 (print list price) — available now