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Burmese gourd fritters
Bu thee kyaw (ဘူးသီးကြော်): bottle gourd batons in a crisp turmeric rice batter, with tamarind dip
Afternoon fry stalls along the lanes of downtown Yangon sell these by the paper cone, golden sticks of bottle gourd still crackling from the wok, and they are the fritter most people choose to dunk into a breakfast bowl of mohinga. Inside the thin rice-flour shell, the gourd steams until soft and almost juicy, mild and slightly sweet against the crunchy, salty coating. A tangy tamarind sauce with garlic and chilli is the usual partner. The classic failure is a thick, gluey batter that hides the vegetable and goes chewy within minutes; it should be as thin as single cream. Chef's tip: add a few drops of lime juice and ice-cold water to the batter just before frying; the cold keeps the coating light and crisp.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 1 ⅓ lb bottle gourd (calabash)peeled, seeded, cut into 8 cm batons about 1 cm thick
- 1 tsp saltdivided
- 4 oz rice flour
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp baking powdergluten-free if needed
- ¾ cup ice-cold water
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
For the tamarind dip
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 4 tbsp hot water
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar
- 1 garlic clovefinely grated
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Toss 1 ⅓ lb bottle gourd (calabash) with half the ½ tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes, then pat the batons very dry with a clean cloth. This draws out water that would otherwise make the batter slip off.
10 minStep 2: Stir 2 tbsp tamarind paste, 4 tbsp hot water, 1 ½ tbsp sugar, 1 garlic clove and ½ tsp dried chilli flakes together until smooth and glossy. Finish with 1 tbsp fresh coriander and set aside.
Step 3: Whisk 4 oz rice flour, 1 oz chickpea flour (gram flour), ½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp baking powder and the rest of the ½ tsp salt in a bowl, then whisk in ¾ cup ice-cold water to a smooth, pourable batter the thickness of single cream.
Step 4: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a wok over a medium-high heat to 350°F, or until a drop of batter rises at once with lively bubbles.
6 minStep 5: Dip the gourd batons in the batter a handful at a time, let the excess drip off, and lower them into the oil one by one so they don't stick together.
Step 6: Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until the coating is crisp and pale golden and the bubbling has slowed. Drain on a rack.
4 minStep 7: Fry the rest in batches, whisking the batter between batches as the flour settles.
8 minStep 8: Eat straight away with the tamarind dip, or drop a few on top of a bowl of mohinga.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does burmese gourd fritters take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 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 ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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