Most of what’s written about Myanmar these days is pretty serious – whether it be political and economic reform, the peace process, or ongoing ethnic problems. I’m as guilty of this singular focus as anyone, writing on economics ad nauseam. One thing I find is I don’t spend enough time learning about and enjoying some of the country’s more unique features – in this case, food. Myanmar’s food offerings are almost as diverse as its populations, ranging from the seafood-heavy diets of Rakhine State to the curries of central Myanmar to the topic of this post, the wonderful food of Kachin State. This week I tried my hand at cooking (well, in all honesty, I was really a glorified chef’s assistant) two (similar) dishes: Kachin chicken and Kachin beef. They’re made with the same seasoning, though you prepare the meat a bit differently.

Let’s start with the seasoning. Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need: 4 small onions; 12-14 cloves of garlic; about a half a finger-sized chunk of ginger (we’re very scientific in our measurements); a bag of quince leaves; a bag of basil; a bag of sawtooth cilantro (if you don’t know what this is, click here); about 10-15 small green chilis (the real spicy ones, but adjust according to preference). The first step is to cut up the onions, garlic and ginger very finely and put them in a bowl. Then, take the quince leaves, basil, and sawtooth coriander and cut them up finely as well. Put them on top of the garlic and onions and ginger. Cut and add in the chilis. Mix together. These measurements should make enough seasoning for both the chicken and the beef, so if you’re only going to make one, just halve everything.

For the chicken: boneless, skinless chicken breast (500g approx.); 1 tomato, cut; 1 teaspoon of ground Sichuan pepper; 2 teaspoons of salt; 1 teaspoon of chicken-flavoured powder; 8-12 ounces of water (enough to cover the chicken, but that will depend on the shape of the pan); 2 tablespoons of oil. First take the chicken breast and cut it into bite-sized chunks. Then, cut the tomato. Put the cut chicken in a preheated pan at medium heat (150C). Then add half the bowl of seasoning, as well as the tomato, Sichuan pepper, salt, and chicken-flavoured powder. Add 8 ounces of water and the oil last. Let it all cook until the water is basically gone, which should take 35-40 minutes. Serve with rice.

For the beef: any kind of beef really (400g approx.); 1 bunch of garlic leeks; ground hickory bark and chili powder (this is straight from Kachin State so you might not be able to find it everywhere – the best substitute would be liquid ‘hickory smoke’ which you can find at an American grocery store!); 1 teaspoon of ground Sichuan pepper; 2 teaspoons of salt; 1 teaspoon of chicken-flavored powder; 1 tomato, cut; 8-12 ounces of water (enough to cover the beef); 2 tablespoons of oil. First cut the beef into small chunks. Cut the garlic leeks (finely) and the tomato as well. Put the beef in a preheated pan at medium heat (150C). Then mix in the ground hickory bark and chili powder together with the other half of the bowl of seasoning. Then, add the tomato, garlic leeks, Sichuan pepper, salt, and chicken-flavoured powder. Finally, add 8 ounces of water and the oil as the last step. Let it cook until the water is basically gone, which should take 35-40 minutes. Serve with rice.

So, there’s the recipe (and since I’m in the last 2 weeks of my PhD, let’s just say it’s also a great recipe for procrastination). I would have taken photos but I was so hungry by the time we got done making everything that I just started to eat and completely forgot! Hope you enjoy!

Jared Bissinger is a part-time chef’s assistant in Myanmar. When not working in the kitchen, he spends his free time as a consultant and development economist. He is also completing a PhD at Macquarie University, where his research focuses on economic institutions in Myanmar and their role in private-sector development.