Burmese Style Turmeric Rice & Peas - Vegan Recipe
A delicious, nutritious and cheap to make vegan rice dish inspired by 'Pe Byouk Tamin Kyaw' - a kind of Burmese fried rice with steamed split peas. This rice dish is commonly eaten for breakfast in Myanmar and served with sweet tea. If it is made at home, the steamed peas are usually bought from a street vendor to save time sprouting, boiling and sauteeing which takes place over several days. A variation of this recipe is to use frozen green peas, which give a fresh flavour, and saves loads of time. The use of fish sauce and eggs is optional, therefore the base recipe is vegan.
A Note on Turmeric
Myanmar is one of the world's largest producers of turmeric, a spice from the ginger family. Turmeric is the source of curcumin, which has several health benefits on consumption. These benefits are most notably anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects*. Turmeric is one of the most commonly used ayurvedic spices in the world and is believed to help relieve symptoms of arthritis.
Burmese Style Turmeric Rice & Peas - Vegan Recipe
Ingredients (serves 2)
2 Tbsp Oil (I use sesame)
300g Cooked Rice
2 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Dried Chili Flakes
1 White Onion, Sliced
2 Spring Onion, Sliced Widthways
3 Cloves Garlic, Finely Chopped
100g Frozen Green Peas
Salt & Black Pepper, To Season
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce (Optional)
Eggs (Optional)
Coriander (To Serve)
Method
1) In a large frying pan, cook the white onion, dried chilli and turmeric until sizzling on a medium heat. Then add the spring onion and garlic and stir until all ingredients are coated in the turmeric.
2) Add the cooked rice and mix together with the garlic and onions.
3) Once the rice is coated in the turmeric mixture, add in the frozen peas.
4) Stir often until the fried rice is completely heated through and the peas are just cooked. Add the fish sauce at this point if using, and season to taste with salt and pepper. You can use a little extra salt if omitting the fish sauce.
5) Take the fried rice off the heat. If serving with eggs, fry one egg per serving.
6) Serve with chopped coriander, a drizzle of sesame oil and extra chilli if you like it spicy.
Shop artisan made homewares from Myanmar here.
References
*Susan J. Hewlings and Douglas S. Kalman, 'Curcumin: A Review of Its’ Effects on Human Health', 2017.