Talabaw (တာလပေါ (Talabaw))
Overview
Talabaw is a vegetable and rice soup of the Karen people of Myanmar. Fresh or fermented bamboo shoots are cooked in water with a small handful of rice, which breaks down and gives the soup body. Snakehead fish, grilled or fresh, is added with chillies, lemongrass and sometimes pumpkin, aubergine or other vegetables from the garden. A little fish paste seasons it, and a big handful of fresh basil leaves goes in at the end. The soup is light, herby and slightly sour from the bamboo shoots. It is eaten in large bowls alongside a small amount of plain rice.
History
Talabaw means great soup in the S'gaw Karen language. Rice was precious in the Karen hills, so families ate a lot of soup with only a little rice to make it last, and talabaw became their everyday dish. It is now seen as the essential dish of Karen cooking and is eaten in Kayin State and by Karen refugees and families in Thailand, the United States and Australia.
Main ingredients
Bamboo shoots, snakehead fish, rice, basil, chilli, lemongrass. The soup is built on fish and bamboo broth and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Fish and seafood soups · Rice soups · Lemongrass soups · More soups from Myanmar
Recipe
Method
- 120 min
Simmer the rice and bamboo shoots in 1.2 l water for 20 minutes.
- 210 min
Add the lemongrass, chillies and vegetables and cook for 10 minutes.
- 38 min
Add the fish and the fish paste and simmer gently for 8 minutes.
- 4
Season with salt.
- 5
Stir in the basil and serve with a little rice.
- ✓
Serve. About 1 h from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
