When it comes to Burmese cuisine, not many in Chennai can claim to have the culinary skills of Chef Koushik Shankar. Name any Burmese cuisine, the chef in his distinctive style will illustrate what are the ingredients added into it, and how it’s prepared.

At the end of the day, after you binge-eat the zesty Burmese delicacy, you begin to wonder, are you at a restaurant in Chennai or far-away Rangoon.

The Mayflower at Poes Garden serves exotic global cuisine, the veteran chef Koushik Shankar took time off from his busy cooking commitments to share his culinary expertise spelling out what goes into the making of the popular Burmese Khow Suey.

The chef explains that the authentic Burmese curry broth flavors can be obtained by serving them with a variety of condiments. The curry mixture and the creamy coconut milk gives it a mellowed yellow shade, and added to it is heat from chili powder with crisp crunch of fried garlic chips and onions. Served with noodles, the chef says you can often hear people slurp up the steaming hot delicacy noisily bowl after bowl.

According to the chef, the Khow Suey has a bunch of ingredients that are made separately. Here’s the list of the ingredients that the chef specifies,

Burmese Khao Suey Served At ‘The Mayflower’ Chennai.

Curry Mixture:

For the distinct flavor, this mixture according to the chef forms the base of the Khow Suey. The mixture consists of garlic, ginger, coriander stems, the stems he says aren't thrown away, they are instead added to enhance the flavor, with peppercorn and green chilies, they are grinded into a fine paste, and kept aside.

Coconut Broth:

This broth the chef maintains provides the Khow Suey the body, and the soupy consistency. More aromatics such as gram flour are added to the curry mixture to thicken the consistency and obtain a nutty flavor, along with water or veg stock. Towards the end, coconut milk is added and mixed well.

Noodles:

The chef adds plain flour or rice noodles for vegans, and for the non-vegan's egg noodles are used. Cold water is splashed on the noodles after boiling draining them, so that they don’t turn mushy, making sure that they are not overcooked.
Toppings:

The chef uses a variety of toppings for the Khow Suey, here’s the list:

Fried shallots or onions
Sliced Onions
Fried or fresh Ginger
Fried Garlic Chips
Finely chopped green chilies
Lemon wedges
Spring onions
Crushed chili flakes
Chopped coriander or cilantro
Crispy fried noodles or wonton strips
Chopped or coarsely powdered groundnuts (Whole groundnuts will also do)

Here’s how the Khow Suey is served at the restaurant:

It’s served with a big bowl of Khow Suey, along with mini bowls consisting of toppings, such as crunchy groundnuts, burnt garlic and ginger, crispy noodles and shallots. These are served with steaming hot soup. For the non-vegie's, chicken, prawns and halved eggs are added.