Bloomsbury cookbook explores 'little-known' Burmese cuisine

Absolute Press will publish a cookbook from food writer and “passionate advocate for Burmese cuisine” MiMi Aye.

The Bloomsbury imprint will publish the “a joyful celebration of the little-known cuisine" of Burma, also known as Myanmar, in June 2019.

Jon Croft, publisher at Absolute Press, acquired world rights for all languages to Mandalay: Burmese Food & Beyond Beyond by MiMi Aye, a Burmese home cook and food writer from Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann Agency.

Aye was born in Britain to Burmese parents and is the writer of a food blog, founder of supper club and community, Burmese Food and Beyond, and author of Noodle! 100 Great Recipes, published by Absolute Press in 2014.

The book features more than 100 “simple but authentic recipes revealing the secrets of the Burmese kitchen”. It is full of dazzling dishes, according to a Bloomsbury spokesperson, from Burma’s national dish of mohinga, a fish chowder with rice noodles and lemongrass traditionally served at breakfast, to steamed fish in banana leaf, and lahpet thohk, a classic Burmese salad of pickled green tea – and aims to demystify the unique flavours of Burma.

“A passionate advocate for Burmese food, Aye’s recipes will be interspersed with stories about Burmese culture and traditions, eating and serving customs, as well as typical menus and a glossary of ingredients and alternatives found closer to home – a must-read for everyone interested in Asian cuisine and culture,” a Bloomsbury spokesperson said.

Aye said: “Located in Southeast Asia, between Bangladesh and Thailand and near India and China, Burma’s cuisine is influenced by these neighbours, but also combines techniques and ingredients with flavours of its own to make something subtle, delicious and unique." She revealed she was "delighted to be sharing this multitude of flavours, scents, colours, and textures" in the title.

She said: “We eat with all of our senses, and here we can indulge each and every one of them: the aroma from a bubbling pot of beef and lentil stew; the multi-coloured vision of a rainbow salad of carrots, potatoes, chillies and coriander; the sensation of rice noodles silky with a rich tomato and kaffir lime sauce; or the crunch of a handful of home-made paprika potato crisps.”

Croft said: “I am thrilled that Absolute Press is to publish MiMi’s enchanting and accessible tour around the little-explored and delicious cuisine of Burma. MiMi is recognised as the go-to authority for Burmese food and the irresistible combination of wonderful family recipes coupled with her own personal stories brings Burma to life in all its culinary and cultural glory.”