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The national dish of Burma, moh hin gha is
to the Burmese what onion soup is to the French. Bowls of moh hin gha are
a popular snack sold at roadside stalls or by vendors who carry their
cooking apparatus from house to house on a bamboo pole slung over one
shoulder. At one end is the portable fireplace while on the other are all
the makings. This one-course meal is
often used when entertaining large numbers of people. No outdoor market
fair or festival is complete without the moh hin gha sellers. The rice
vermicelli used is made fresh every day with slightly fermented rice
flour. Few housewives make it themselves but it is bought fresh from the
moh sellers ('moh' is the word used for flour and everything made with
wheat or rice flour). Chinese rice vermicelli or Italian fine vermicelli
can be used instead. While the base
of the dish is a curried fish soup, a vital ingredient is the tender heart
of a banana tree - a very common ingredient in Burma. If you have access
to a banana tree and are determined to make this dish in true Burmese
fashion, protect your hands with gloves and put on your oldest clothes,
because the sap from the banana tree leaves a stain that defies the best
stain removers science has to offer. Peel off the outer layers and
discard. Cut the inner portion in thin crossways slices. Soak in a large
basin of salted water for several hours. The sticky juice forms strong
hair-like strands. Pull these away and discard.
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