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Burma atho
அத்தோ (atho): Chennai's Burmese-Tamil noodle toss with cabbage, fried garlic, tamarind and chilli, with banana-stem soup
When Tamil families returned from Burma in the 1960s they brought atho with them, and today it is cooked on carts around Burma Bazaar, Parry's Corner and along the roads near the harbour in George Town, busiest at lunch and in the early evening. Cold noodles are mixed by hand with raw cabbage and onion, crisp fried garlic, tamarind, chilli flakes, roasted gram powder and lime, and come with a peppery banana-stem soup on the side. It is sour, hot, crunchy and very moreish. Contains wheat. Chef's tip: fry the garlic slowly until only pale gold; it keeps darkening off the heat and turns bitter if you wait for brown.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the noodles
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- 5 ½ oz white cabbagevery finely shredded
- 1 red onionthinly sliced
- 1 carrotfinely grated
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tsp red chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp roasted gram (pottukadalai)ground to a powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 limejuiced
- 3 tbsp coriander leaveschopped
For the banana-stem soup
- 5 ½ oz banana stemfibres removed, chopped
- 3 cups water
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: For the soup, put 5 ½ oz banana stem, 3 cups water, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp black pepper and ½ tsp salt in a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, until the stem is tender. Keep warm.
15 minStep 2: Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium-low heat and fry 8 cloves garlic, stirring, for 3–4 minutes, until pale gold. Lift out with a slotted spoon and keep the oil.
4 minStep 3: Cook 9 oz flat wheat noodles (egg-free) in boiling water until just tender, drain, rinse under cold water and drain well. Toss with the garlic oil so they don't stick. Common mistake: overcooking them; soft noodles break and clump when you mix by hand.
8 minStep 4: In a big bowl, put the noodles, 5 ½ oz white cabbage, 1 red onion, 1 carrot, 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tsp red chilli flakes, 2 tbsp roasted gram (pottukadalai) and 1 tsp salt. Mix with your hands for a minute, squeezing gently, until every strand is coated and tinted red-brown.
2 minStep 5: Squeeze over 1 lime, scatter the fried garlic and 3 tbsp coriander leaves, taste for salt and sourness, and serve at room temperature with a cup of the hot soup.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 78 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does burma atho take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 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 very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
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