Burmese cuisine offers a wide variety of ‘thoke’ dishes. The term ‘thoke’ refers to a hand-mixed preparation, but you can use utensils for this if you want to keep your hands clean! This is one of the simplest forms of ‘thoke’, using primarily onions. The onions are sliced thinly - I recommend using a mandoline - and soaked in cold water to remove a good amount of sting. When drained, the raw onions are dressed with a punchy dressing of fish sauce, chilli flakes, tamarind or lime juice. A key ingredient in many ‘thouk’ dishes is toasted chickpea flour (gram flour), which adds nutty depth and satisfying heart to the salad. Burmese food is typically salty and sour with very little if any sugar at all compared to their Thai and Bengali neighbours. This dish is a quick and mighty induction into Burmese flavour; I hope it entices you. Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (serves 2x)
2x red onions, thinly sliced
4-6 tsps Aleppo chilli flakes [BEST BUY] or Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate or lemon juice
1 tsp fish sauce (Thai fish sauce can suffice)
2 tsps vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chickpea flour (also known as ‘gram flour’ or ‘besan’)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1-2 eggs, beaten
To serve: jasmine rice
WALKTHROUGH
First, slice the 2x red onions thinly and place them in a mixing bowl. Cover them with cold water and give them a brief mix. Allow them to sit for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, let’s toast the chickpea flour. Add the 1 tablespoon of chickpea flour to a small, dry frying pan. Place the pan onto low heat and gently heat the flour, stirring constantly, until it is fragrant and nutty. Remove it from the pan and set it aside in a bowl to cool.
Drain the onions and add them to a fresh mixing bowl. Add the 4-6 tsps Aleppo/Korean chilli flakes (depending on your heat level), 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate/lemon juice, 2 tsps fish sauce, 2 tsps vegetable oil, 2 tsps toasted chickpea flour, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp sugar. Mix everything well, squeezing the onions between your hands. Allow the salad to sit for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare your omelette. Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil to a small frying pan and place it onto medium-high heat. Allow the oil to heat until shimmering.
Add the beaten eggs and fry them on medium-high heat until crisp and bubbling. Turn the omelette once and fry briefly on the other side before draining. Place the omelette onto your serving plate with some white rice.
Serve the onion salad alongside the rice and omelette and enjoy!
