Recipes for all the senses, from Burma: Rivers of Flavour

Succulent Grapefruit (or Pomelo) Salad

Serves 4

“A real triumph, this fresh tasting salad,� Duguid writes, “is another instance of a Burmese dish that is greater than the sum of its parts.� The more authentic recipe would call for pomelos or even citrons, which are much more common in Burma than grapefruits. Yet as the opposite is true here (where pomelos can be dishearteningly dry), try making it with ripe grapefruit, especially the pink ones, which make the dish look so pretty. Duguid serves it as a “refreshing foil� to rich meat dishes.

2 medium grapefruits or 1 small pomelo

Scant 1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and drained

1 teaspoon dried shrimp powder (see recipe below)

1 tablespoon toasted chickpea flour (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons fried shallots (see recipe below)

1 teaspoon fish sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon shallot oil (see recipe below)

To segment the grapefruit or pomelo, using a sharp knife, peel the fruit, cutting deeply so that you are cutting the peel and white pith off together and the fruit inside is exposed. (You may feel you are wasting some of the fruit, but in fact this method saves more fruit in the end.) Hold the fruit in one hand, working over a bowl, and slide a sharp paring knife along the surface of one of the membranes. Twist the knife a little to flip the segment free from the membranes and let it drop into the bowl. Work your way around the fruit like this, freeing each segment in turn. Squeeze any remaining juice from the membranes into the bowl.

Transfer the grapefruit or pomelo segments to a wide, shallow bowl. (Drink the juice or set aside for another purpose.) Add the shallots, shrimp powder, toasted chickpea flour and fried shallots and toss. Add the fish sauce and the shallot oil and toss. Taste and then add a little more fish sauce or some salt if you wish.

Fried Shallots and Shallot Oil

Makes a generous ¾ cup flavoured oil and about 1¼ cups fried shallots

“Here, you get two pantry staples in one,� writes Duguid, who uses this aromatized oil on salads, freshly cooked greens or soups right before serving. “The trick with fried shallots is to cook them slowly, so they give off their moisture and get an even golden brown without any scorched or blackened patches. Once they’re removed from the oil and left to cool, they crisp up.�

1 cup peanut oil

2 cups (about 1/2 pound) thinly sliced Asian or European shallots

Place a wide heavy skillet or a large stable wok over medium-high heat and add the oil. Toss in a slice of shallot. As the oil heats, it will rise to the surface, sizzling lightly. When it’s reached the surface, add the rest of the shallots, carefully, so you don’t splash yourself with the oil, and lower the heat to medium. (The shallots may seem crowded, but they’ll shrink as they cook.)

Stir gently and frequently with a long-handled wooden spoon or a spider (bamboo-handled skimmer with a spiderweb like metal basket). The shallots will bubble as they give off their moisture. If they start to brown early, in the first five minutes, lower the heat a little more. After about 10 minutes, they should start to colour. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pan or to each other, until they have turned a golden brown, another three minutes or so.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2012/12/05/recipes-for-all-the-senses-from-burma-rivers-of-flavour/