Balachaung
The Burmese table condiment: dried shrimp fried into a deeply savoury, sticky chilli-and-garlic relish that's spooned over rice, mixed into noodles, eaten with cucumber or scooped onto a plain wedge of bread. Intense, salty, fishy, sweet-hot. A spoon goes a long way. Made in batches; kept in a jar; lasts weeks.
Overview
The Burmese dried-shrimp relish that sits in a jar in every Yangon kitchen, the seasoning you reach for to lift a plate of plain rice into something memorable. You pulse-grind dried shrimp to a coarse floss, then fry a pile of sliced garlic and shallot in oil until they're deep golden and crisp. The dried shrimp joins them and toasts to a fragrant rust colour. Chilli powder, fish sauce, tamarind, sugar and a splash of water turn the lot into a sticky red-brown relish. Cook until the oil clears (twelve to fifteen minutes), cool, store in a jar. Eat by the spoonful with rice, or as a side to grilled meat or fish.
Ingredients
- 150 g dried shrimp (small, available from East Asian shops)
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 1 onion (large, very finely sliced)
- 12 garlic cloves (very finely sliced)
- 2 tablespoons ginger (julienned)
- 4 tablespoons Kashmiri chilli powder (or 2 tbsp paprika + 2 tbsp chilli flakes)
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons tamarind paste (or 1 ½ tablespoons tamarind concentrate)
- 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- 80 ml hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
Method
Stage 1 - Prep the shrimp
- Soak the dried shrimp in warm water 5 minutes; drain.
- Pat dry on kitchen paper.
- Pulse in a small food processor or mortar to a coarse floss (not a paste).
Stage 2 - Fry the aromatics
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat.
- Add the sliced onion; fry 8 minutes until deep gold and just starting to crisp at the edges.
- Lift onto kitchen paper; reserve.
- Add the sliced garlic; fry 4-5 minutes until pale gold (it crisps as it cools - don't take it too far).
- Lift onto paper; reserve.
Stage 3 - Toast the shrimp
- Pour in the remaining oil. Add the julienned ginger; fry 30 seconds.
- Add the shrimp floss; toast 6-7 minutes, stirring constantly, until aromatic and dark rust-coloured.
Stage 4 - Build the relish
- Whisk chilli powder, fish sauce, tamarind, sugar and water in a small bowl.
- Pour into the pan with the toasted shrimp; stir hard.
- Cook 6-8 minutes, stirring often, until the relish is glossy and a clear oil rises to the surface.
Stage 5 - Combine
- Stir in the reserved fried onion and garlic.
- Cook another 2 minutes to combine.
- Taste; adjust salt - the relish should be salty, hot, slightly sour, slightly sweet.
Stage 6 - Cool and store
- Cool completely. Tip into a clean glass jar; cover with the oil that has risen to the surface (this preserves it).
Stage 7 - Use
- A teaspoon spooned over rice. A tablespoon stirred into noodles. As a topping for plain hard-boiled eggs.
Notes
- Dried shrimp quality: Pinkish-orange shrimp from a Chinese, Vietnamese or Thai shop are best. Beige or grey ones are old and smell off-fishy rather than clean.
- Garlic to gold not brown: Brown garlic is bitter. Take it to pale gold and lift out; it darkens to amber as it cools.
- Storage and longevity: Properly made balachaung lasts 3 weeks refrigerated. The oil cap keeps the relish covered; if you lose the cap, top up with fresh oil.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 weeks in a sealed jar with an oil cap on top.
- Don't freeze - the texture goes claggy.
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