Kyethar Susie Kyaw

Source: Aung Aung Taik, Under the Golden Pagoda: The Best of Burmese Cooking

This Burmese chicken stir-fry is distinguished from a Chinese stir-fry by the use of characteristic Burmese ingredients: fish sauce, turmeric, lots of garlic and chili, and brown-fried onions as a garnish. The velveting step is not traditional and is a Chinese technique that allows the use of far less oil than called for in the original recipe.

Marinate the chicken:

Combine the chicken cubes with the remaining ingredients and marinate for 20 minutes or more.

Brown-fry the onions:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a wok or skillet. Add the onions and turmeric. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are dark brown. [1] Set aside on paper towels to drain. Keep the remaining oil in the pan.

Velvet the chicken:

Mix the velveting ingredients well, add the chicken, and refigerate for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Add the chicken to the water, stirring once just to separate. Cook until the chicken just turns white, and then immediately strain the chicken into a collander.

Stir-fry:

Re-heat the pan you used to fry the onions over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic with the crushed chili and turmeric until golden. Add the chicken and green onions and cook 2 or 3 minutes until the chicken is done. Serve garnished with the brown-fried onions.

1. You can cook the onions in a very small amount of oil if you use a cooking spray with lecithin and keep the pan covered.