Illustration: Zoe More O’Ferrall for the Guardian
Mohinga, or catfish soup, is served at breakfast in Burma. For 15 years, Aung San Suu Kyi’s cook brought it to her guards while she was under house arrest.
Serves four
Blitz a peeled thumb of ginger, two garlic cloves, a stick of lemongrass, a pinch of chilli powder, a teaspoon of turmeric and a tablespoon of light oil. Pour into a pan and gently fry for two minutes, then add three sliced shallots and a pinch of salt; add oil as needed. Saute for 10 minutes; don’t brown. In a dry pan, toast two tablespoons each of rice flour and gram flour for a minute, until pale brown, then whisk into a litre of fish stock. Pour into the onion pan with two teaspoons of fish sauce, simmer for 10 minutes, until it thickens, then add 350g white fish pieces (traditionally catfish) and 90g cooked vermicelli rice noodles. Simmer for three minutes. Serve with coriander, wedges of lime, fried shallots, sliced spring onion, chilli and boiled egg.