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Burmese pea fried rice
Pe pyot htamin kyaw (ပဲပြုတ်ထမင်းကြော်): yesterday's rice fried with boiled peas and onion
Ask almost anyone from Yangon what they ate for breakfast as a child and the answer is often this: last night's rice, fried in a hot wok with soft boiled peas and plenty of onion, eaten before school with a glass of hot green tea. It is pale, gently savoury and comforting rather than spicy, with the peas bursting creamy against slightly crisp grains of rice. Families add a few slices of cucumber on the side and a spoon of crispy onions, and some cooks toss in a pinch of turmeric for colour. The usual error is using freshly cooked rice, which clumps and steams instead of frying. Chef's tip: crumble the cold rice with damp hands before it goes in the wok, so every grain hits the hot oil separately.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fried rice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely sliced
- 3 garlic clovesfinely chopped
- 1 ⅔ lb cold cooked jasmine ricecooked the day before
- 9 oz boiled yellow peas (pe pyot)drained; or tinned marrowfat peas, rinsed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground turmeric (optional)
- 2 spring onionssliced
To serve
- 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots (optional)
- 1 cucumber (optional)sliced
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Break up 1 ⅔ lb cold cooked jasmine rice with damp hands until no clumps remain.
Step 2: Heat 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 1 onion for 3–4 minutes, until soft and just turning golden at the edges.
4 minStep 3: Add 3 garlic cloves and fry for 30 seconds, until fragrant but not brown.
Step 4: Tip in the rice and 1 pinch ground turmeric and toss over a high heat for 3–4 minutes, pressing the rice against the hot pan, until the grains are separate, hot and start to crackle.
4 minStep 5: Add 9 oz boiled yellow peas (pe pyot) and 1 tsp salt and fold gently for 2–3 minutes, until the peas are hot through. Let a few crush into the rice; that is part of the texture.
3 minStep 6: Stir through 2 spring onions, taste for salt, and take off the heat.
Step 7: Serve straight away topped with 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots, with 1 cucumber and hot green tea on the side.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does burmese pea fried rice take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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