Khayan Jin Thee Thoke
Khayan Jin Thee Thoke
About this Recipe
This salad contrasts crunchy peanuts with vibrant fresh tomatoes. Use the best quality tomatoes you can buy to get the most out of this dish. It is best made fresh on the day and can be served as a side with one of our curries or just simply with some rice.
The Benefits
Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins C, A, and lycopene, a heart-friendly powerful antioxidant. The healthy fats in peanuts help improve the absorption of all the good vitamins in tomatoes. Peanuts are a plant-based source of protein, full of vitamin E, and minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus, and up the fiber content of the dish, which helps support digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness.
Note: For the garlic oil, put 3 to 5 Tbsp olive oil and 2 crushed garlic cloves in a small pan and gently heat until the garlic starts sizzling slightly. Remove from the heat and let steep while preparing the rest of the recipe.
Ingredients
- Neutral vegetable oil (such as avocado or grapeseed oil) for frying
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- All-purpose flour for coating the sliced shallots
- Salt
- 1 tsp gram (chickpea) flour
- 1/3 cup (50 g) unsalted roasted peanuts
- 2 (300 g) tomatoes, at room temperature, quartered (if your tomatoes are larger, cut them into eighths)
- 1 green finger chile, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp dried shrimp (optional)
- 3 to 5 Tbsp (45 to 75 ml) garlic oil
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 2 tsp fish sauce (omit to make vegetarian, then season with salt)
- A small handful of cilantro
Directions
-
Step 1
Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a shallow pan on medium heat until it shimmers. Toss the thinly sliced shallots with all-purpose flour. Gently place in the shimmering oil (do this in 2 batches if you don’t have enough room for all at once). Stir the shallots as they are frying. Once they begin to change color, scoop them out with a slotted spoon or a small spider. Place on a paper towel on a plate and season with salt while still hot. -
Step 2
Sift the gram flour into a bowl, as it is usually quite lumpy. Heat a clean, dry frying pan over low-medium heat and add the flour. Stir around so it is distributed evenly and continue to stir intermittently, to ensure even toasting. It will begin to smell slightly nutty and will brown slightly after about 5 minutes. It may clump a little, which is normal; you can always re-sift it if it is particularly clumpy. Set aside. -
Step 3
Crush the peanuts using a pestle and mortar or pulse a few times in a food processor to the size of the nubs you get in a crunchy peanut butter. -
Step 4
Place the tomatoes, chile, crushed peanuts, garlic oil, lime, cilantro, and toasted gram flour in a large bowl and mix. Ideally, do this with clean hands to fully combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt or chile if necessary. -
Step 5
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with crispy shallots. Serve immediately.
Adapted from Amy & Emily Chung’s "The Rangoon Sisters Cookbook"
READ THE BOOK | The Rangoon Sisters
About the authors
Amy Chung
Amy is a Registrar in Psychiatry working in London. She co wrote "Rangoon Sisters", with her sister, a bestseller on Burmese cooking.
Emily Chung
Emily is a Consultant in Sexual health and HIV working in London. She co wrote Rangoon Sisters, a bestselling cookbook on Burmese cuisine with her sister.
