recipe-1

Recipe-1 › Curries of the world › Burmese chicken curry

Myanmar

Burmese chicken curry (Kyet thar hin (see pyan))

Myanmar’s everyday curry style is called “see pyan”, meaning “the oil returns”: it is cooked until the water evaporates and the oil rises back to the top. It uses a pounded paste of onion, garlic and ginger, with paprika and fish sauce.

Close to the base recipe Mild

New here? How this page works

Recipe-1 is one simple curry recipe in nine steps: fry onions and green chillies, add your vegetables or meat, add chilli powder and turmeric, then water and salt, and boil. With small changes the same nine steps make curries from all over the world.

This page takes those nine steps and shows what to change to make Burmese chicken curry. You don’t need to read anything else first: every base step is written out below. The changes are worked out on paper from what is typical for this dish; not yet kitchen-tested. Cooked it? Tell others how it went.

Green: the base recipe step (crossed out = do not use it for this dish)Red: what to do instead for Burmese chicken curry

See the full base recipe (with timers and tips) · See all curries on the world map

You’ll need

How many people?4

The amounts change with the number of people; cooking times stay about the same (use a bigger pot for more). Taste as you go: you can always add more chilli or salt, but you cannot take it out.

Main ingredient: 750 g Chicken on the bone.

From the base recipe

  • Onions not used
  • Green chillies not used
  • 6 tbsp Cooking oil
  • ½ tsp Red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • a little · 250 ml Salt and water
  • Ginger garlic paste not used
  • Cloves, cardamom and cinnamon not used
  • Garam masala (optional) not used

Add for Burmese chicken curry

  • 3 · 6 · 5 cm Plenty of onions, garlic and ginger, pounded or blended to a paste
  • 1 tbsp Paprika
  • 2 tbsp Fish sauce
  • 1 Lemongrass (optional)

Leave out

  • Vegetables
  • Garam masala

The nine steps, with the changes

Where a step has a red line, do the red line and not the crossed-out green base step. Steps with only green are done just as in the base recipe.

  1. Base step: do not useCut onions and chillies.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisInstead of cutting, pound or blend the onions, garlic and ginger into a paste.

  2. Base step: do not useFry in some oil for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisFry the paste in plenty of oil for about 8 minutes, until it smells sweet.

  3. Base step: do not useCut the vegetable(s) of your choice.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisUse the chicken.

  4. Add them and fry for around 4 minutes on medium-high heat.

  5. Base step: do not useAdd red chilli powder and turmeric.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisAdd paprika and turmeric, with a little chilli powder for heat.

  6. Keep frying until just before they start browning.

  7. Base step: do not useAdd some water.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisAdd a little water.

  8. Base step: do not useAdd salt.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisAdd fish sauce instead of most of the salt.

  9. Base step: do not useBoil until the gravy is as thick as you like.

    Burmese chicken curry: do thisBoil until the water has gone and the oil rises to the top: that is “see pyan”.

Serve: With rice and a sour soup.

For meat and seafood, make sure it is cooked through: chicken until no pink remains inside; mutton, goat and beef need long, slow cooking.

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